


Theo: Blood Angel of Lescatie (Monstergirls vs Human Empire, darkly reimagined)

by Esteban_von_Chucha



Category: Monster Girl Encyclopedia, Monster Girl Quest, Monster Girls | Monster Boys
Genre: Bondage, Earn Your Happy Ending, Ending of an era, Epic Battles, Escalation of a conflict, F/F, F/M, Fantastic Racism, Murder, Nice Job Breaking It Hero, Non-Sexual Slavery, Other, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Psychological Trauma, Rage, Reconciliation, Self-Acceptance, Sexual Slavery, Slavery, attempted genocide, vengeance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-16
Updated: 2017-08-16
Packaged: 2018-12-15 22:44:38
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 62,216
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11815713
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Esteban_von_Chucha/pseuds/Esteban_von_Chucha
Summary: Adult-content Dark Story with re-imagined Kenkou Cross' Monstergirls and Human Nation of Lescatie. Monstergirls' Empire has humans as chattel slaves, though a new leader, a Succubus is progressive and slowly reforms the empire thanks to an ex-slave who killed her predecessor, fallen to slavery as a child. His vengeful quest led by his trauma changes many, many things...Adding a vengeful tale of someone, THAT UNLUCKY GUY who gets the short stick, is abused, tortured and told to get over it, and in return, goes utterly mad and (un) luckily finds a power that triggers a very harsh change in the world he lived in...if you call it living.He has a heart, that is broken and torn by trauma.His nemesis isn't dead yet, and his weakness will have horrible consequences.He was scared; he had failed. There are monstergirls who don't like slavery, and people out for their own wealth, or just wanting to be happy, and get the shaft.This is their story





	Theo: Blood Angel of Lescatie (Monstergirls vs Human Empire, darkly reimagined)

Copyright Issues:

Nonprofit fiction. Bard's Song around the end is based off Bertold Brecht's poem "To our Posterity."

Intro:

The world of Dunia is similar to ours, where men and monsters evolved in similar forms, and lived side-by side with many continents and countries. The Continent of Ermor has two empires locked in a war for supremacy: Human Holy-Lescatian Empire to the East, and Mamono-Reik to the West.

Centuries long, this conflict was over land and resources, with increasing hostility against humans by "monsters", an amalgamation of races similar to humans, even biologically compatible but with wildly different features and societies.

Last decade the war escalated to a genocidal level when monsters banded under a God-King named Maou, an ancient Dai-Oni from the east. Ironically, around that time, male births started to lessen amongst monsters.

Theophilos is a young boy who fell to the kingdom of monstergirls, also known as "Mamono Reik" 10 years before the battle of Megiddo which was later defined as "The World War", where their leader was killed.

Around these times, Monsters had their males and uglier, man-eating counterparts as well, albeit declining.

His village was raided by Dark Elven raiders of the west, in an era when mamono, monsterkind, were still bigendered and bloodthirsty. He became a slave along with the humans taken from the coasts and sold to mines with his family, lost someone dear; eventually escaping and studying magic and combat in a changing world, his request for justice is denied since everyone likes to make love and forget as some mamono want to escape the past. This is a story when the consensus changes, and your personal pain is ignored amongst the chaos.

This is a story when you no longer conform to "live and let live", instead forcibly extract your wish when the world is quietly wanting to enjoy the moment, wanting you to "let bygones be bygones".

You appear on their bedside with a sword pointed at their throat, saying, "Settle the account first".

Dear reader, you'll encounter friends, relatives and many role models who claim that you should let all grudges go and sing songs of peace and die in a corner.

That is for dogs and slaves.

We deserve better than that.

ACT 1: Hounded, Hunted.

The Monstergirl Empire was celebrating Father's Day, when males even the lowest social standing were honored and raised up and the Empire celebrated paternity and the love of fatherhood, especially since all male monsters are long celebrations were installed after the first Monster-Human War which resulted in the death of Maou, Monster Emperor, a male Dai-Oni, a demonlike monster of the East. Today was a day of love and life. Monstergirls of all species freely mingled with human males, mostly slaves or freedmen born from humans taken in wars, who were treated like kings for a day.

Someone with a grudge stalking the streets had other plans than be cuddled and loved like some morality pet.

One of the ubiquitous features of a father's day, a monster-human couple fresh out of bar ambled ever-so-slowly and loudly towards their home. The monster one was a drunk minotaur girl who barely stood leaning to her husband, swayed and burped cutely. Her face was a mask of drunk joy, still careful not to hurt her husband with her horns and body that was, even with human influence, still ripped like a titan despite the wondrous curves that would make any grown man look twice. Taking another hoofstep, she was startled by a small hiss and a passing shadow, barely blurting out drunkenly:

"Wazzat a cat?"

Her husband shook his head and led her gently home, too scared to say what it was. A tang of blood and burnt sulphur was telltale signs of a threat not many knew, but some humans of the Reik knew quite well of an urban legend that watched over them.

For one second, the poor human man had seen a young man, barely an adult, no older than a score winters, pass him by. Steps like silk, wild, disheveled hair with a hint of greying at this young age, a 3-day stubble explained everything; if not the hateful glare, grinding teeth, sheathed weapons and constant darting eyes already didn't show his intentions.

"Let's go home sweetheart. You had too much to drink." He gently tried to steer her, only earn a snort, a lusty butt-squeeze and a nuzzle from the muscled minotaur girl.

"Ahm a minotauh! I kan drink azmuchazziwan-" Before she could take another hoof-step, she collapsed in his arms, snoring before mumbling: "I wuv you shnookums."

"I love you too, wooshums." He sighed, kissing her alcohol smelling, fluffy cheek. She was sweet, crude and cute, a snoring, 200 pound muscled beauty on top of him, gigantic breasts nearly suffocating even though she was the sweetest, cutest minotaur girl who had met him and made him love of her life after a skirmish.

"Wooshums...let's just go... You know the penalty for vagrancy..."

Sighing, he dragged her snoring, cute hide across the threshold and into the door.

The fireworks' rumble was the perfect cover for the glowing comet of a man to charge the adamantine gates of the sinister mansion. The shouts and music covered the clang of metal and screams of pain to come.

The figure came to stand before the massive gated mansion which had dull sounds of music and clinking of glasses coming from the inside. A party.

Taking a deep breath, he slowly cut his palm with a small dagger, smearing the red blood around his sword while whispering a syllable. Then, the man repeated the strange blood ritual, made a circle on his boots, mumbled arcane syllables, and stretched his limbs.

Chanting a few words, he felt his veins ablaze with anger and eldritch forces as a quiet, humming sensation of power coursed through his veins. Without further ado, he started running towards the ornate, gothic gate and leapt, landing over the crude wooden gate, kept running, and kicked forward when he saw a second gate made from a blackish metal.

The mansion he attacked was a black, metal-walled, almost invisible building in the ass-end of the city. Even the other Monstergirls avoided the place, since it belonged to the Black Brigade, a brutal and unforgiving "Protective Division" of the Reik that was disbanded and persecuted after the World War, grating even on the dark sensibilities of surviving World War Monstergirl leadership, its surviving Dukes and Queens.

His magically enhanced kick, a force landed by a boot that coruscated with magical energy, made the adamantine gate fly, crash into the wooden doors, revealing a shocked congregation of monster women who were lounging in a massive bath house.

The monstergirls had black scales, fur or skin shimmering as if polished, were built to kill. Fangs, claws and weapons were ready to strike back, bared at him by instinct.

Each were darker, and larger than their contemporaries, and still shocked by what just happened; a young man, clad like a common thug wearing a hooded cloak, wielding a short, stabbing spear and a sword had barged in, and without as much a sound as a snake, lunged at the nearest monster with a barely audible grunt.

He stabbed blindly, spearing the Lamia guard who bared her fangs just to realize her body below the spine went very cold. His left hand slashed viciously, decapitating the confused serpentine woman. His haste-imbued arm withdrew the spear, and launched it towards the screaming Kikimora maid, a monster-girl with feathery limbs, to cut her scream and slam her like a trophy butterfly on the wall. Her hand was clutching a wand to blast him.

With furious splashes, the ancient mamono congregation roared and started scrambling for their weapons, some starting to mumble and make gestures of magic to punish the upstart human.

They were the slower ones.

Shouting arcane words, he raised his sword arm and plunged it inside the bath where all the mamono were relaxing ,using his own body and he metal part of his sword like a lightning rod and cast his left palm toward himself.A horrifying pain wracked his body, yet he decided to keep chanting even as his fingers burned, his skin threatened to burst out of his body, his cloak and clothing ignited, and his heart faltered.

A coruscating red explosion in shape of a spidery ball-lightning rocked the bath, causing the mamono veterans to go in cardiac arrest, their naked bodies convulsing in a last dance.

The telltale ozone smell after the lightning bolt lingered in the air as Theo leapt forward towards the Naga that had slithered in terror towards the commotion, short sword aimed to kill. She had been stunned enough to stay conscious. His blade halted a mere few inches from the eye socket of the Naga that raised her arms in defeat, recoiling from his right arm glowing with electricity.

"Stop! Mercy!" The naga looked near death, hair singed by the blast which also shocked her as her body convulsed in pain.

"Mercy? Like you showed her? Showed my kin for centuries?" His hard eyes were locked on hers like grey stones with no soul behind it. The Naga spat blood, staining her slaver tattoo and her slaver tabard.

"Wait... please...wait... listen..."The serpentine woman begged him, shivering like a freezing dog.

Theo squinted, listening.

"Sacrifices are drugged to sleep before... I swear she went on the altar painless-"

The naga never finished her words, cut off by a wave of pain and emitting a horrible shriek.

Theo slowly stabbed the exposed belly, and summoning strength by spending his blood, twisted it, grabbed the hilt with both hands and slashed upward, splitting her ribcage and jaw from below exposing the throbbing heart, lungs and some parts of her brain with one clear motion. The Naga's eyes bulged as she thrashed, insides cooking in a sickly flavor of roast snake as she slowly burned to death when he did the "coup de grace" , an incantation to cast flame.

"Good. Means you get to suffer more." Theo grimly watched the mamono woman thrash, hands cupped in a plea to stop the pain. He didn't.

It took minutes for the Naga to stop convulsing. As his stomach grumbled from the smell of cooking meat and the charnel hall of a scene before him.

"Twenty down, a million to go."

He wasn't a moral paragon turned to violence like a story conjured from a young mind. He was suffering. Groaning in pain, he savored a few brief moments of peace, peace from the ghosts of the past torturing him.

There was no victory: no heroic poses, no wind blowing a cape around him, no heroic confirmations and fanfare. Around him was a ruined dinner and bath party full of corpses, no beauty to be found. He was another human with blood in his hands, with a vengeance that came too late, too cold, tasteless, yet was mildly nourishing.

He was alone, and very cold. He had to get out of here.

The loud festivities of Father's Day in Mamono Reik provided the perfect cover for such a time when older, darker mamono brooded in solitude. That also gave him the perfect excuse to excise his bloodthirst and anger.

They were dead. The members of a certain, magically imbued Black Mamono, were dead to the last one. As minutes passed, Theo felt a bit better, especially after eating some of the sweetmeats and drinking fortified spring water, a magically imbued, filtered water for monstergirls and men with kidney problems. Theo knew the delicacy, sold only in exclusive places across Dunia...each filled an empty void inside him, a void which fueled the unnatural and unholy energies he had ruined his soul with.

At the age when children played and knew nothing but joy, he had lost everything; replacing the loss with unadulterated hatred of life, and black magic he stole from his master. Unlike poorly written horror stories of Lescatie, he tried his best to hide his hate and anguish from the innocent...not always successfully.

After raiding their pantry, a short dip in the steam bath felt heavenly, especially around corpses of other dark monsters, he felt a warm glow of satisfaction. The death grimace of a particularly cruel black naga felt almost comical, caught in lightning ball's center.

Washed up and cleaned, after helping himself to the mansion's larder and purses, he left the dark mansion quietly. He paid no attention to the impaled Kikimora maid on the wall, speared on a javelin and mouth open in horror and pain. The so called Kikimora maid's slaver tattoo crinkled as the void-flames started to consume her flesh: another sign that she was a Blood Mage like him, a Black Brigade like the rest.

He sucked a bit of his own blood from a gash he cut on his palm, and spat on an improvised magic diagram. The magical fires sprang to life, dancing on the diagram which he painted with some of the blood using the feathers of the dead Kikimora: eldritch magic washed over him, closing his wounds and fixing his appearance.

Today his traumatic pain was satiated. Tomorrow…there'd be more.

"Tomoko…" His hard eyes locked on a small locket of Black Brigade, clutched by a skeletal hand protruding from the bath. Kneeling, he snatched it, glaring at the picture inside, a serpentine monstergirl of black scales. His sorrowful features sank into rage again.

She was near. He was thirsty still.

A mamono Inn looked more like a bawdyhouse than a tavern to eat and sleep.

As Theo entered, no one paid attention to another male as all mamono were busy loving or drinking. Slowly he walked towards the bar and waved at the barkeep, a human male washing glasses over the roar of music, moans, and screams: it must be an art unto itself for a succubus to take five men's cocks at once, one on each hand, two double teaming her ass and pussy, and one on mouth and still make sound enough to startle Theo when he noticed her.

Ignoring the orgasmic scream of the bat-winged devil slut behind him, he shifted just a little not to be in danger of certain bodily fluids.

Signaling the bottle behind the counter, he ordered a glass of wine. It had an ulterior motive, as wine attracted a potential mamono: beer was a cultural sign of "leave me alone" by the subject humans of Mamono Reik; tired farmers, miners and other slaves. More sensible and understanding monstergirls knew to leave the poor humans to rest after they work for their masters.

The prickling on his neck signaled he already attracted one. That was fast.

Amongst the monstergirls of a tavern where men were in constantly short supply, some sat down for a drink. Some simply looked for unattached men to coerce in sex or intimacy. So a human would obviously attract some company, sooner or later regarding to his looks, social status and cleanliness, if he behaved well enough.

The majestic feeling and a rush of perfume confused him, embracing him before the mamono in question was near. Bullseye? Looking aside, he noticed the female monster approaching him.

A mature kitsune, a mature, voluptuous monster woman with nine fluffy tails, slowly approached him, hips swaying with every step, as he sampled his drink. Whether it was magic on his part, or mere beauty of his magic enhanced appearance mattered little, what was certain that, she was interested. Or maybe she was merely starved for mana: more tailed fox-women were hungry like that. Her kimono was low cut, giving an ample view of her chest area for any potential male, two pure white breasts large as melons.

The Kitsune was a big one, a lady of prodigious power and beauty, albeit worn with some passage of time, and she made no move to hide anything. Smiling, brimming with confidence, the mamono slid onto a tavern stool right next to him.

Life's greatest irony on Theo was that everything that happened traditionally, happened to him in reverse.

"Good evening, traveller. Here for a Father's Day hospitality?" She was waving her fluffy tails like a fan and cooed in delight as Theo leaned forward, caressing a fluffy tail and even rubbing his cheek. He was fast and crude, but today he was lucky; whether drunk of lust crazed mattered little to the kitsune.

"Like my tails, do you?" They felt like warm velvet in his hands, playfully brushing his face.

He nodded, with an eager reply: "I can get used to this mamono hospitality you know. Want a drink?" And lifted a small cup.

The kitsune chuckled, her low cut kimono rippling with the promise of bountiful bosom beneath."At last, a man that would buy a mamono a drink and not rut mindlessly. Got a name to remember you by sweetie?" She must have been disappointed by the centuries of short-lived men, Theo thought.

"Gintaras." He smiled, nodding slightly. The kitsune 's eyes glowed with delight. "Amber for Ugaric." he went on.

They both chuckled (him with less mirth) at the sounds coming upstairs, mixes of feral monstergirls' moans and squeals coupled with male grunts and moans.

"Someone's fluent in languages." Was the Kitsune's reply, her mischevious, almost vulpine features glowing in curiosity... Her body was now inches apart from the human youth she cornered, in a brazen display of dominance. But, the Monster Reik was after all, pretty liberal in intimacy.

Theo handed her a wine cup." I am from Ugaric forests ma'am, as you thought. Mamono and humans have their own peaceful lives there. I am a mere wanderer passing into Lescatie."

"Ohhohoho~" The Kitsune grinned. "How about I invite you for a sake after this; I always wanted to meet new cultures~ Maybe you won't even long for boring Lescatian life, strict chastity and all."

Theo smiled. "That remains to be seen. What's sake?" He offered his cup, and the Kitsune another warm night, another lay and the embrace of a loving, soft woman after months of cold sleep, hateful morsels plundered from dead criminal mamono. Anything to beat back the ghosts in his mind, the ghosts that haunted him on the bloody hills of Megiddo.

"Rice wine, my dear... From the eastern lands when most of our kind migrated here..." The kitsune's face was that of a adult human woman in her mid 30's, with only a mild sign of aging around her mouth where she must have laughed a lot. Eyes of gold adorned a smile that was far from evil, and eyes still showed the look of someone that saw horrible things, but came out decent.

He spoke for hours: told of his false identity, his past and how monstergirls were always attractive to his eyes despite his family told him to shun them. She took the bait, hook,line and sinker, making him wonder whether she played along or was interested.

An hour later, they were arm in arm, his hand on her full, white silky thigh, caressing her soft, full leg. Her knowing smile and her own hand caressing his short beard, multiple fluffy tails rubbing his back was a signal not to stop.

"I didn't know north-eastern men were that bold..."

He smiled softly, mumbling. "I can stay like this forever..." as he caressed her cheek, neck and thighs. "I'm not just..." His eyes sank to the floor, making her chuckle in surprise.

The drama lessons he had taken way back in Lescatian custody paid off.

"Sentimental hmm? How about a coffee back at my place?" She smiled.

In a few hours when screams of passion rocked the inn as more monstergirls raped men and indulged in orgies, he donned his most disarming smile, accepting her offer. The fox-lady's answer was of course, a positive encouragement to leave.

Plus, the tavern was making him dizzy. Despite his traumatic past regarding the "monster" women around him, it was deeply alluring to see a Naga entwining herself around a man, softly massaging his body with hers wrapped around his waist, softly straddling with his manhood buried inside her. The snake-woman's tongue lolled, her face a mask of intoxication and stupidity with her clothings nowhere to be seen. Next to the naga lied a Werewolf girl on all fours, her face buried in a man's crotch, cheeks bulging from the sheer size of his cock, with another man thrusting violently into her cunt, his hands grasping and squeezing her voluptuous arse until welts appeared.

The werewolf girl howled in muffled delight then the man before her groaned, making her throat bulge from the essence pouring down her throat. Well for a minute she moaned on his shrinking cock, and coughed, sighing, resigned to the man fucking her cunt doggy-style with short thrusts, his cock pounding the monstergirl's pussy with loud slaps.

"Gods..."

They exited the tavern, where every monstergirl was copulating with a man, on barrels, tables, stairways and rooms, the air dark and thick with demonic energy. The mamono were quite brutal lovers under the full moon: Werewolf girls howled as men mounted them, Lamia women were locked with their lovers, gyrating to the rythm of the music as they kissed and rubbed each other. One corner even had a completely naked human girl, who wore nothing but a steel collar on her neck, her mouth completely obscured by a dark set of hips belonging to a dark elf who rode her face sensually, gyrating her hips on the slavegirl's mouth. The slave girl's legs were splayed open, with a burly human man who wore the dark elf's tattoo, was between them pumping with his hips in short, pained grunts.

As they passed, the trio shuddered with a climax, after which, the shuddering dark elf, whose lower half was only bare, gasped and shuddered for a while, and smiling at Theo's shocked face, leant to talk to her human slave, the girl who she had been face-sitting.

"Now, my dear Freckles, don't tell me that I never treat my slaves to a fun eveni- aah!"Her chiding was cut short by a moan escaping her lips, as her human slave, who had climaxed herself being fucked by the human stud, giggled and kept licking the soft, white-haired pussy burying her face.

"Please, I need some fresh air." Theo groaned. "I feel nauseaous.

The couple entering the eastern house were not an unusual sight in the street. The kitsune even appreciated him picking her up gently by the arm. When they sat down in the living room, the fox-vixen chuckled, relaxing in his arms.

"My my, I never thought I'd get treated to a civil human like you."

"It gets better. Want my own coffee?" He shook a small bag of black powder. "It's good for...you know..." The fox eared blonde vixen smiled and nodded, going for the kitchen. In her mind, he was the ideal husband for a monster-girl if she were several centuries younger with no children: today, she felt a bit younger because of his youthful presence. Pity she didn't know he had ulterior motives, at least, not for her. An evening of love might dispel his ghosts a while.

And the voluptuous hips of the fox woman, who definitely had been a mother as well -judging from a few old paintings where her likeliness was with human men and kitsune toddlers-, was enchanting to a person who'd been living rough for years. Hidden behind her kimono, save for a large tailhole where multiple, gold colored tails swished to and fro as the monsterwoman's big backside swayed with each step, and strained against the kimono's back, revealing a large, shapely bottom clearly seen from the fabric when she lit a small magical fire and lit the firewood...Each cheek straining the kimono, and almost revealing itself.

...Theo had to cough nervously when he saw the kitsune staring back at him.

She had laughed without anger before resuming heating the coffee. This evening would be a lucky one, one amongst millions of cold shoulders and hateful ruminations.

"Sorry."

"I don't mind dear. All these centuries and you, human men, cannot resist a lady's...charms." She giggled, spending effort to keep the coffee from burning too much. "At least you forest men are honest. Lescatians are SO funny. Two centuries ago I had dated a man from them, SO much in denial of his love to me, quite the zealot..." She sighed, reminiscing the past. "Do you mind me talking about my old loves, young man?"

He shrugged. "Suit yourself. I don't know much about life."

"Oh you'll learn." She grinned mischeviously.

The mansion's fires eventually attracted the fire-women and the police.

A young monstergirl, a lizardwoman by the looks of it, was thinking of a routine fire disrupting her fun when she noticed the gory scene once she passed the door's threshold. Giving a feral squeak, she ran to scream for a higher-up, clawed, scaly feet clacking on the cobblestones.

Eventually, she got her request, and alarm bells filled the streets, monstergirl policewomen running towards the incident in a panoply of sirens and bells.

The mansion was full of police-women (If monstergirls classified themselves as police), completely dumbfounded by the carnage.

They stood in perfect silence until a pair of jackal ears topping a youthful human girl's face appeared at the doorstep, the Anubis detective they needed. She lifted a small badge in her fluffy paws.

"Detective Otep." A Hellhound policegirl saluted the entrant, paw on forehead.

Otep was an Anubis. A monstergirl with jackal ears, paws for extremities and a fluffy tail was dressed as a detective. Armed with a golden staff with scales set on it, she took careful note of every detail.

"What the hell happened here?" Was all the she could mumble when she saw the scene of the carnage in front of her. Her fluffy black tail drooped in fear, as did her ears like a scared puppy. Being dragged out of her bed by the Guard Captain to investigate a horrifying murder was a real downer of a Father's Day when she, her new husband Benny and their common human wife were happily lazing in bed.

"Twenty mamono dead, killed by a charging comet wielding crop blades i guess."Her assistant, a succubus with a tomboyish face and figure more fit on a human boy followed her quietly, taking notes whenever necessary. Her plain, deadpan snarker attitude irritated everyone but she was competent inside the police force as a secretary.

The anubis tapped the bent metal gate with a dull ring. "Adamantine gate kicked down, ya know, the type Cyclops women take a year and a thousand gold pieces to forge. A score of the most powerful Black Brigade veterans and a Kikimora maid, cut apart like grass, and fried like chickens. Some look partially evaporated, and there is an infernalist diagram with human blood on it."

"Someone wanted vengeance." The assistant succubus quipped. "Or some criminal syndicate making a move. Secret handshakes and whatnot." Her spade-tail tapped a small diagram. "I know that charm; it's a regeneration ritual that taps your lifetime for health. Infernalist monstergirls rarely invoke it, and I remember only one at the archives...who died last week..." She twirled a pen between her fingers, thinking. "...strangely by a similar method: Electrocution by blood magic powered...lightning..." Her words were lost in the din of preparation and activity at the crime scene.

"No shit. They are the old shame." The anubis girl took a cup of coffee given by a domestic servant serving the mamono police force, a human woman in police uniform who followed them with coffee and papers. She was obviously born in the mamono kingdom of a human woman and human man, and a house serf who wanted to do something other than agriculture and babies.

The anubis thanked her politely and took some pen and paper from her as well, modified for her meaty paws.

"Did the guards secure evidence? I want every bit of flesh,blood and hair that's splattered over the place. Call the vampire Mina and that ghoul girl we were rehabilitating. They can taste and trace the suspect that must have done this."

"Already done. They'll be here soon, Detective Otep." The assistant replied.

"And Billie. I want the safe opened. To hell with "procedure" garbage, these mamono area dead and sure as hell don't have any relatives who'd piss in their direction if they were on fire. They hate humans and see them as pests. " She tapped the succubus assistant's shoulder "And get me a Hakutaku scholar that knows about the pre-War genocide victims. I need to interview some folks."

Billie the succubus' nose wrinkled. She was asexual, uncaring and cold to the point of being eccentric. She didn't care for humans, nor hated them.

"Someone just can't get over the fact his sweetheart died and move on." She sneered.

Otep's eyes narrowed as her fluffy black ears perked. "Billie. Careful. My mother has told about our side. Humans regularly taken and used as food, families broken up and sold and sacrificed, their lives regarded like pests underfoot..."

"So? Those that live should be grateful that they live and move on." Billie shrugged.

The succubus' cold reply made many heads turn in annoyment. Not just human servants' but many , even conservative, mamono-supremacist monstergirls frowned with unconcealed anger. Conservative or cultural supremacism didn't mean one had to be an asshole all the time.

"And you aren't concerned that some of the survivors are looking for payback? Real life isn't a poorly written story with everyone going their own way, oh-so-magically after the writer's pet character plows through the villains." Otep retorted. "Fallout happens. People keep grudges. Remember the human murderer that stabbed his ex-mistress last year?" It was a publicized murder when an ex-slave human, seperated from his family and sold a decade ago, had found and killed his old mistress in broad daylight. He had then taken his own life, impacting public order considerably.

Billie was a top-notch secretary, logistician and investigator but everyone saw her as a bit off. She was simply put, cold. Honest and cold. She did not lie , worked hard but was utterly uncaring for the emotions of others, especially humans.

"And? They should make the most of their lives and move on."

Even the human assistant behind her angrily opened her mouth as if about to say something, but turned away and went back to the guardhouse to call the forensic team, namely ghouls and vampires that could taste the remains for an identity.

"Billie."  
"Yes, officer Otep?"  
"Heard of something called sensitivity?"  
"No." Billie shrugged. "That's why I was assigned to homicide."

Policewomen with fluffy ears lead the two monstergirls, gently, towards the crime scene, pointing at the remains.

The ghoul girl clicked her tongue after gnawing a bit on the meaty remains of the carnage. Her pale, sharp features showed some measure of focus, as sne looked down and started mumbling.

"He swings, he casts, he shouts, black, black, black hair, black black black heart. Bath time and *gasp!* can't breathe. Void comes, void consumes...void..." She trailed off , falling into some sort of reverie.

Mina the vampire was more elaborate. "Mmm..." She put her bloodied finger in her mouth and sucked it. "Most of the blood feels reptilian. But some blotches give a different taste. Detective Otep, have you heard about Eldritch Magic?"

"Of course. It's forbidden now save for voluntary sacrifices, and even then, is a misdemeanor due to dangerous magic." Otep answered quoting the Constitution. "You think we have a warlock running rampant?"

The Vampire girl shrugged. "That, or an underground infernalist war."

Otep's thoughts were interrupted by hoof sounds echoed on the marble, and another white fluffy tail tapped her shoulder.

It was the Hakutaku she asked for, wearing her culture's voluminous clothes, complete with an academy cap buzzing with magic. She had entered the room quietly, flashing her card: "Mingzhi, arcane investigator."

The Hakutaku started talking before either of them could add:

"This...which we can call a serial killer, is an extremely powerful Eldritch Mage. Do you know how to catch one?"

Otep shrugged. She had caught a few murdering humans, lost in their personal losses from the War, but never such a driven beast, and one with a relatively just cause.

"A serial killer that stalks the worst of our society, and uses blood magic to conceal itself. This is hunting a black cat in a lightless room with a needle, if i may comment." The Hakutaku added sadly. Otep's sigh of frustration was her reply. Her eyes were locked on Billie's

"See? When you say "deal with it", one of them turns out to be like this. Empress has a point: ignoring pains gets worse. Maou Father was wrong, and we all paid for it."

Billie replied. "Fine by me. Human wins, old shame's gone; human dies, all the better."

Otep rolled her eyes.

Back in the kitsune woman's house, she and her guest were locked in a sweaty post-coitus embrace, as the woman's multiple tails fanned her and him with cool air. Her body was gleaming with sweat, her womb and stomach full of seed

"Gintaras" had proven to be a most frisky lover.

When both were relaxing with their coffee, the talk slowed down with each sitting inches apart from the other with a knowing smile.

The young man she took to her home, had respectfully approached her skin and started peeling off her kimono, landing small kisses on her neck and sliding his hands softly from her neck to her ample bosom, softly massaging ivory white soft breasts. His action drew response: fluffy tails wrapped around his cheek like alien limbs, the bulk of the voluptuous fox-woman leaned on his frame, surrounding him with perfumed, soft flesh. The kitsune chuckled.

"You can kiss more than my chest, young man." Soft kisses slowly rising to her neck were met with a motherly chuckle. "I meant this."

When she realized her lover was more than a bit pent up and looked stressful, the kitsune gently held his shoulders, assuring him and offered to kiss him slowly. Holding his jaw, her lips softly touched his, her soft lips smelling of peaches and cream, per the mystical power of her kind. One hand gently held his, lips locked in a sweet sensation, the Kitsune 's tongue mischeviously darting forward to softly massage his in gentle strokes.

Smiling, Theo softly pushed on her shoulders, making her lean on the large couch after the kissing, making her laugh sweetly:"My, getting frisky now?"

He just shrugged, smiling as his hands slowly undressed her last bits of clothing. Her skin felt soft, creamy, reminding of his childhood treat as the peach smell filles his nostrils. Softly grasping her chest with his hands, Theo planted kiss after kiss to her face, lips, nose, belly, and slowly adjusted himself.

Below her belly button and lower still lay a delightfully silky triangle, smelling of fresh peaches and something wondrous hiding a slit that nestled between puffy nether lips.

The kitsune's long, soft and audible moan was a sign that his soft kisses and a slight tongue-teasing worked after all. Kitsunes tasted heavenly, an aroma that smelled of peaches, and some citrus fruit he could not identify. He kissed her thighs again, and gently laid a hand to rub her clitoris as his face rose again, lips brushing her belly, chest, neck...and lips.

They kept kissing as Theo adjusted his hips, hands continously rubbing the soft, wet, delightful crevice of the kitsune woman's thighs until he could start penetrating her.

Chuckling at his audacity, the Fox-woman lifted herself and lied down, spreading her thick legs seductively, one's feet touching the other and cooing with delight, softly pulling his waist to hers with a drunk giggle. Theo kissed one swollen nipple, slowly biting and eliciting a gasp.

Looking down again, her womanhood looked like a golden bush, the hairs adorning it like a crown. Theo, already overcome with lust, extended a hand, softly rubbing her sweetest spot with a thumb. Minutes passed, every little rub rousing his partner, her, with loud gasps matching his touches on her little nerve bud. Then, pulling his waist, Theo slowly lined his engorged cock gently between the silken lips. He slowly thrust forward, ever-so-slowly burying his stiffened cock inside her soft, silky entrance until his balls felt warm bliss.

"Ahhn... you know how to please an old maid like m- " The Kitsune was silenced by a passionate kiss as Theo's lips locked on hers. After the long kiss, the mysterious human gasped for air and said: "Women are like wine, finer with age. Don't demean yourself." before he resumed with renewed passion. His kisses on the kitsune woman's neck with small sucking bites made the kitsune's eyes roll from heat.

Each thrust earned a wet slap and a gasp. Each thrust was rewarded with a jiggle across her plump body, and a creak of the bed. He kept slowly fucking her, trying to concentrate as her tails waves before his eyes, each thrust filling his body with amazing silky embrace and waves of pleasure.

He went at her, thrusting with abandon after weeks of rough life, fighting and a drunk head, fucking her with every wet slap, every thrust making her scream.

Screams were not uncommon in the Reik at night. Their lovemaking, both primal and dignified, changing from one attitude to another, lasted half an hour. Thrusting gently for a few minutes until the kitsune grinned, gave a playful snarl and pulled him tighter, his cock still buried when he was forced to hug her with every thrust.

"Yes!"

They kissed again, as his thrusts became irregular from the rising heat around his groin. His back felt the tails rubbing him, warming his blood with fresh demon energy as he plowed the fox woman with waves of pleasure. After a few more thrusts when her ragged breathing matched his, Theo slowed down before slamming once more to release his seed inside her.

The kitsune mewled, shuddered and clamped down on his body, receiving the essence she craved so badly. Locking the young man in a savage kiss, she pulled his waist with her heels, making him thrust deeper with every inch of the way to absorb more of his essence.

"Ah! Right there! I feel...ah...ahn~! What? Are you ready for round two?" The hardness of his member softly probing her slick thighs made her eyes grow. "Where have you been all my life, human boy?" She laughed softly, holding him in a lewd embrace, hands gently pulling his waist, and slowly guiding his erect penis in her pussy with her hips.

"Gods, it's still hard..." was all the Kitsune could mumble.

When both thrust their loins to each other, each felt a rising wave of heat from their skin, when human flesh met mamono energy in a union that ever since the races' fates were bound, amplified the pleasure tenfold.

His thrusts filled her loins with fire, delight and pleasure for the third time.

They had a passionate, wild night before them.

Theo started again, thrusting with gentle motions, paying attention to her every reaction. Kitsune, especially when older, are haughty. This one sighed loudly and squeezed his chest, and backside, only retracting with understanding when one naughty finger tried where it shouldn't be.

Still, the rush of hot seed in her womb comfirmed his lover was still lusty, even after that he had thrust several times before he sighed and slowly went limp, in member and in body...

Hours later, Theo laid in her arms, his smaller body engulfed by her strong, welcoming and zaftig mamono frame, half asleep. The kitsune tenderly caressed his scarred body with her fluffy tails, lost in bliss.

"I suppose you'll be gone the next day, sweet Gintaras?" The kitsune softly kissed his forehead and snuggled close.

"How did you know?" Theo slowly blinked.

The ancient fox lady's smile was melancholic.

"Oh dear, my womb was so hungry for male life...yet I have lived for a millenium." The kitsune sighed. "Someone like you is sure to leave and not settle down, especially with..." She lifted a hand to caress her wrinkles of old age starting to appear. "But I...I would host you as long as I live...you are something, sweet northern boy. And I feel you won't just settle down here..." The kitsune tenderly caressed his face, as if she was remembering every curve and shape.

"I have seen humans suffer horribly, my sweet young boy. Seen things done unto them. But.." She sighed. "Times are changing. 10 years ago you couldn't see humans without collars and owners around. It was...bad." She coughed once, took a whiff from her opium pipe and relaxed. "And I sense that... um... are you planning to have children, young Gintaras?"

Theo shook his head mutely. One-in-a-million the chance was now with the eldritch energies coursing through him...

"I see.. fine...well, I hope you live a long and happy life my boy." She pulled him close. He leaned, kissing her deeply, again.

"We'll talk more at breakfast." She kissed him and closed her eyes. Theo did the same.

She felt his seed full of strange power, but she did not know why, assuming it due to foreign blood. Neither did she feel the scrying spell that floated off his fingertips to slowly consume the information hidden in nearby books.

In the post-sexual bliss, the sleeping Kitsune didn't notice the magic eyes sliding in her personal library. Yet Theo's mind started to fill with images and shapes as he slowly fell asleep...until the image of a Naga side-by-side with the mature Kitsune sleeping with her.

"Tomoko..." He gasped quietly. His and his dead love's cell guard. The one who just fed and watered them like animals, only to enter the cell and take his childhood love away to be used as a sacrifice for blood magic. The memories brought a torrent of hatred and trembling...

"No, I must not." He restrained himself from stabbing the fox woman through her eye sockets and scrambling her brain. Plus the information flood of his spell mentioned she was one of the dissenters during the war. She must have felt genuine pity for humans.

Sighing, he let sleep take him over. Best leave under friendly terms after learning about Tomoko's whereabouts.

The guard station was abuzz with activity. Mingzhi, Otep and Billie was hard at work trying to compile and population census of the city to find possible Eldritch suspects or Black Veterans to pursue.

"Hmm...Tomoko Kuro...Black Veteran, given amnesty in exchange for swearing off violence against humans. Has a very, very dark past." Billie went on.

"How dark?" Otep's Jackal ears perked.

"She owned Eisenheim mines where Theo and many slaves were being worked for war materials. Disappeared when King Julius personally led a landing force to rescue humans, along with the war chest." Billie blew a lock of hair, her spade-tail twirling around her, wings retracted to her back. "Technically she stole from Mamono Imperial treasury, but records were...fuzzy back then."

The records were always fuzzy with undisciplined monstergirls. Especially during war, especially when humans were figuratively, and literally, fucked.

"Seems that she is the only one alive Veteran in town. Is a friend with Haruka Kizarashi. That 9-tailed Kitsune who was the head of "Alliance for Peace", Black Brigade's greatest detractors, and pro-human peace activists...

"Strange bedfellows I bet." Otep sipped her coffee.

"Detective, Haruka is seen going home with a young boy as my subordinate told me. Should we investigate?"

Billie shrugged. "Why? Older mamono have sex too. Besides Miss Haruka is powerful enough to sense danger."

Mingzhi, hand on her chin, mused: "Well, Tomoko was seen caressing human children, so maybe she decided to have peace with her past and maybe love humans?"

Otep shook her head. "Something feels wrong. Send a hellhound with dampening glasses. I want that house searched."

A scaled hand knocking on the door woke both lovers from their embrace. The Kitsune dashed for her clothes while shouting for the visitor to wait, Theo simply slid off the bed and dressed...while hiding a small dagger under his shirt, hoping time, environment and magic did away with his old appearance...

The Kitsune's residence was a pretty little cottage in eastern style; built from wood and set inside a garden. The door, cut and carved from an enormous teak log gave a thick knocking sound as a strong, scaled hand rapped it.

The scaly hand belonged to an ancient Naga. She was nearly twice the size of other mamono, causing dark glances and whispers behind her back as she slithered towards the kitsune's residence. Her eyes were cold, blue shining with a pale fire unseen in the mamono of today. Her ancient blood resonated with a quiet power, untainted by human blood throughout the centuries. She reminded the passing mamono villagers of a Wurm rather than a Naga.

Her knocking seemed to have roused the kitsune and probably a mate that slept with her. Patiently, like a black tower, Tomoko waited. A civilian human who was about to ask her something recoiled in terror upon noticing her badge.

Tomoko ignored her. What was done was done in the past. She just wanted to visit her old friend.

She smiled slightly when her friend's fluffy tails barely obscured a human youth quickly dressing up.

"Have I come at a bad time, Haruka?"

The youth smiled and grabbed Haruka's waist, softly grabbed her jaw and kissed her, petting her tails; the kitsune breathlessly gasping in his mouth at the lavish attention. After tearing herself free of his grasp with a chuckle and a soft slap on wrist, the Kitsune smiled at the Black Naga.

"It's alright, Tomoko. Please, come in..."

Ducking, the naga slowly slithered inside past the frisky couple and slowly coiled next to the kitchen table, her ancient presence giving an aura of power and beauty tickling even Theo's dulled, damaged nerves.

"Coffee?" Haruka twirled her tails, shaking Theo's loving embrace off.  
"Yes please." Tomoko nodded.  
"This is...Gintaras." The kitsune gestured towards the youth next to her. "He is...well...*giggle* quite a companion." The Naga gazed at him, trying to figure out what he was. He looked strangely familiar... Suddenly, Haruka clapped her hands to take charge of the awkward discussion.

"Why don't you both sit in the garden while I whip up some Magrebian coffee? Gintaras brought it." The Kitsune readjusted her bust and went to heat some water. The black naga shifted for a second, and nodded.

"Sure. We'll...uh...wait there." She started slithering with Theo in tow, keeping a respectful distance. Soon, the massive naga, and the human boy were seated on a table, both hearing the happy humming that accompanied the kitsune's boiling of the water and grinding the beans. Ancient enemies, unknowingly, sat across the table.

It was awkward.

"So..." The ancient naga intoned with a voice like a giant.

Theo blinked at her, hands under the table on his knees. "So..."

"You are upset by my badge." The massive mamono looked at him with blue eyes of hell. Theo nodded quietly. She sighed and put it away.

"Can't blame." She was regarding Theo with cold blue eyes, her towering naga body casting a shadow over him. Her face was a cold mask of indifference that was devoid of any human emotion. For a short moment, she tried imitating a smile.

"Pleased to meet you."

"You as well, ma'am." He nodded quietly. The Naga tilted her head slowly, and tried to smile, and nodded in return. Both sides gazed at each other in an awkward silence. The black mamono woman slowly spoke: "You have met her, I see...Haruka is quite...a woman."

Theo nodded, smiling. "You like her?"

"I love her." Was the boy's answer. Tomoko blinked.

"She likes... younger boys." Was her strained answer.

The boy tried to poke her a bit. After all, his jailor, and the one who dragged the screaming Brikha away to be sacrificed was in front of her. "You hate humans, do you?" The naga gave something of a shrug, her serpentine form rippling.

"No. Not...anymore...what's done is done, human. Both sides suffered. Best move on. Have you suffered from the war?" He nodded.

"Do you love Haruka?"

He nodded again.

"Then forget the past, mate with her and live a happy life to the fullest. That's my best advice. Opening old wounds is... not knows, I might see your children... playing with m...I mean ours..."

Theo squinted, thinking if a small blood magic spell could kill her from that distance. He did his best to avoid showing pain as he kept carving under the table using blood from cuts from his leg.

"But hasn't your side committed horrible atrocities, miss naga?" Theo tried his hand at questioning her with the demeanor of an innocent young man who had done nothing. It made the giant naga smile...a little.

"I...probably...we..." She mumbled, surprising for a beastly figure of her size and disposition. "But your side fought us too, so... why re-start again?" She smiled, revealing a cute, fanged mouth that strained with a fake smile anyone could see. "Aren't you happy with he-..." She paused and stared as if someone was behind him.

"I see that Haruka has arrived. Would you help her, human?" She pointed behind him. Theo stood up on impulse and turned around...

All he could hear was a deep thrumming sound from a ton of corded muscles before the snake woman wrapped herself around him.

"Don't move." She whispered, her scaly, incredibly strong body coiled around his in an instant, hands firmly holding his neck and right hand. "I don't want to hurt you any more than I need to."

Theo froze as the ancient naga wrapped around him like an iron coil before he could breathe. Tomoko slowly went on:"I'm going to finish this as painlessly as possible. I will gently bite your neck, and give you a venom."

She extended her fangs, and slowly leaned closer on Theo's neck. "It slows your heart and kills quickly, silently and painlessly. If you won't struggle, it can even give a rush of pleasure in human males, or so I heard."

The naga had him completely immobilized, her muscles even slowly massaging his body. as if she subconsciously yearned for contact. Theo blinked. Ancient Nagas weren't like this, they were possessed with a hate of men ever since a vile human king killed and used their queen, Shahmaran's body for a blood ritual.

She sighed. "Maybe you humans weren't so bad after all. But I know who you are. Theo. Slave 4859. I must kill you for the sake of my daughter and other comrades-in-arms." Her face was without cruelty, but a deep concern. "I would rather not do this. I would like to hand you over to some kind mamono for "protective custody" but..You must die... "

Protective custody was a benign form of permanent slavery for certain humans who weren't far too dangerous, but were dangerous enough not to leave unwatched. Some convicts of manslaughter with good reasons, and the insane were kept like this.

"You wouldn't stay in her home, though you'd be treated kindly for what you went through."

For one moment, the ancient naga's massive, voluptuous body hesitated.

"I broke my wows. Mated with a human when loneliness ate my soul, and I became a mother. Something I swore off when I heard Army of Man won and slaughtered our kin."

Theo growled, full of rage. His voice trembled to a tone that was more fit on a demon of legends. "We weren't "bad", you fucking snake. All the history here is full of humans raped, eaten and enslaved. You of all beings shouldn't even say this!" The Naga gave a small tug what he thought of as a shrug.

"I mean, seriously…"WENT THROUGH?" You and your kind takes me as slaves and you DARE to name it like a victimless crime? Are you out of your fucking snake mind?" He snapped, and rained a barrage of angry curses even when he was in her coils.

Hewent on: "Damn you. My family, millions in history was dragged off, sold like baubles and butchered for blood magic. My people were insignificant toys under your bootheel. How dare you, HOW...give some lecture like a moldy Lescatian Nun! I hope you burn in deepest parts of hell!"

The Naga's body gave an exhalation of a sigh. She didn't want to argue the past.

"For what it's worth, I hope you will be with her and your family together in some afterlife." The Naga's voice was full of sympathy, which surprised him.

Her own surprise was evident when her prey started giving small shuddering chuckles.

"You should be worrying about yourself, dumb snake." The crooked smile he flashed, the Naga could not see. His chuckle she felt in his scales, each sound he exhaled giving her scales a cold ache as her blood started to turn into jelly.

Tomoko could not understand why it hurt so much to breathe. Her nose started to feel wet and smelled iron, overflowing with blood; her muscles meltedand froze in a silent agony as her teeth chattered. Her prey, the human suddenly looked very vague as her eyes, deprived of lifeblood, bulged.

All she could feel was a strong hand prying off her dying coil-grasp. Then she felt no more as her thoughts started to dissolve, her dying mind desperately clinging to the memories of her daughter.

"I am not doing this. This isn't me doing this." Theo spoke calmly, though his lips trembled: even hate did not wash away the sad feeling of killing in cold blood, even via magic or against a hated enemy.

Theo shrugged off her convulsing body, and turned away, dragging a chair. He quietly sat and watched the Naga shudder, vomit, and convulse in her final dance of death. He did not look away one moment, and felt not an ounce of pain in his conscience as the Naga's dying eyes tearfully gazed at him, mouth foaming with blood and spittle.

His hands clutched a bloody dagger, which had just smeared by his blood to carve a pentagram under the table. His leg held wounds and slashes to provide his precious lifeblood; to fuel the magic which had teleported the venom in the ancient Naga's spit glands to her heart.

"I was going to spare you on account of your daughter, had you kindly asked. But you just couldn't curb your pride and ask for it. I lost a family too, you know." His voice was low and sad.

The naga shuddered again.

"You could just talk, not even having to apologize. But no."

He stared at her face, once quite beautiful, statuesque and aloof, not a mask of agony, lips purple, overflowing with bloody foam and eyes bulging. Evil or not, it was not a beautiful way to go.

"Your daughter is better off without you." He spat. She died painfully.

"Tomoko is gone. Shindalla remains. Azaneal remains." He was startled by the clatter of dropped cups, cookies, snacks and tray. His kitsune partner's look was of shock and confusion. A Naga, dead of poisoning, in her own garden with her sexual partner watching on, Haruka was frozen.

"W-what.." She blurted in Zipangu language. His returned gaze froze her heart, his voice did little to soothe her.

"I have done nothing." He shrugged. "She did this to herself. Suicide." Stretching, he quietly passed her by to wash his hands.

"I believe she had a daughter. Reckon you can take care of her?"

She was still in shock when he quietly left the house and disappeared. For several minutes only to be nudged into awareness by a thick, furry paw some time later.

"Officer Nin-Nin, Hellhound." A dark-furred hellhound girl softly prodded her. "What happened here, mam?"

"Too late. Too fucking late." Otep was drinking her morning coffee, cup nestled in her thick, cute paws when the dark-furred, bespectacled Hellhound girl sullenly returned, waddling with her thick paws and droopy tail and announced the death of Tomoko. "Cause of death, poisoning." The small slip of paper she was handed made her sneer.

"What poisons an Ancient Naga?" Otep tossed the file to her desk.

"Miss..." Nin-Nin got her attention. "We have his personal profile. Vampire Mina tasted his blood, blood from the second crime scene, and says she seesthe image of apre-war slave with the serial number 4859. White, pale complexion, gray eyes, young male."

Billie snorted, earning a glare.

The Human Genocide.

Maou had, in a fit of insanity, wanted humanity in death camps, to cleanse his Reik and instill their essence back to his own species as a male mamono essence pool.

The result was a World War that brought the entire Lescatie and Mamono Reik to full scale war, humanity even garnering outside help from Zhong, Bharat and Qadimi Empires, for non-Ermorean(the continent where Reik and Lescatie existed) mamono were likewise disgusted by the atrocities.

At the hill of Megiddo, the monsters' Reikmacht met unified Lescatie with auxiliaries from Farsi, Zhong, and Bharat, as well as Zhong geomancers, outnumbered five-to-one, but armed with horrible monsters, darkest magic arsenals and male monsters that still existed, and were one-man armies themselves.

Lescatie resorted to blood mages themselves, people like Theo, to counter the horrid magical gap between each sides. People like him were rounded up and led against the Reik.

The decisive battle had been waged for over a week at the hill of Megiddo, where the Maou himself died, ripped apart by Theo as the horrified combatants looked on. The losses on all sides were so horrific that all factions retreated to their borders with an unspoken cease-fire, losses partially by enormous amounts of Blood Magic employed on both sides: a highly illegal and powerful magic that unleashed weapons and effects that defiled life and earth for a long time, including poisoning the user slowly.

The Reik, with Maou dead and his wife Agrat now Empress, consolidated itself and reformed its way of life, especially arranging its humans used by monstergirls to be made better treated slaves, wives and husbands, and persecuted its Black Brigade members who worked in the Human Genocide project.

Some surviving pre-Megiddo slaves were adopted, in as some sort of penance by certain mamono; to atone for bestial treatment earlier. Otep's mother took care of a young humangirl, traumatized from her time in a slave pit when the Demon King was defeated. She never spoke, and had always clung to both Anubises, mother and child like an infant, for years.

There were worse; some were sent to Lescatie, drugged to sleep. Some were put (quietly) to death for their suffering broke them into madmen or monsters. Theo was the one that fled and armed with a horrific arsenal of spells, rampaged for years.

Mingzhi tapped her tail on her chin, her hands polishing her horn ornaments. "Doesn't ring a bell. I never was in the business." She looked angrily at the dark elf commissar filing reports. Her kind was the go-to species in prisoner, kidnapping, ransoming and although declining, still existent slave handling business; though this one wasn't. As if she understood her glare, the dark elf gave an apologetic shrug.

Otep opened the file and started reading. "Gods damnit.. This is some heavy stuff." After reading every detail, every report. Her ears sank and she subconsciously gave a whine like a puppy. The Hakutaku slowly approached and joined reading. She sighed with a sorrowful voice that made every head turn.

His profile designated him as a human slave taken in a raid on Ellas Islands when the Thorn clan of dark elves raided every village for slaves for their vineyards, fields and mines.

His forced tattooing, torture for disciplinary actions when he was eight, and his way of breaking out, loss of family, forced blood magic training by Lescatie made the servant human woman go pale and excuse herself. Otep felt that she'd resign and go back to her family's farm: disgusted by the former monster generation's crimes and content to till the soil and be a mother to future human serfs.

Billie took a small glance as well. She tapped her shoe on the wooden floor slowly, high heel clacking against the wood. "Kill him. " She ignored tha glares cast her way. "It would be a mercy. Not cruelty."

She met the Anubis' gaze and did not flinch.

"Let's give him the peace in death he didn't find in life. No progress until grudges are gone, correct?" She was an asshole, but a rational one.

Otep gave a dejected sigh. "Very well. Dispatch every runner and mamono to each garrison, guardhouse and any martial mamono you can find. Put the picture with a reward of ten thousand gold pieces, dead preferred. And warn ex-Black Brigade members, war criminals as they may be. We don't need more orphans or chaos."

She had no idea how to break the news to the innocent Naga daughter, waiting in worry after she heard something happened to her mother.

Outside, amongst the whistles of the city guards, knocking over stalls and vendors, a bloody comet darted towards the city gate. Ignoring all shouts, he slammed towards the iron gate, melting right through and smashing it open to cries of surprise and horror.

The man's face was a mask of fury and determination. He could almost smell his next victim on the night wind.

His fury ignored the screams of anger, the wail of anguish from a child Naga who learned her mother's death.

Ever since he felt existing, he ran. Some babies remember their parents. Some their first smells. Some the first food or a fellow baby, mamono or man.

He remembered unbridled terror; lost in the Age of Dying Man when his mother hold him to run as ships disgorged strange beings with long ears and black skins, coupled with strange women and men with animal features to raid the fisherman towns. He remembered running until a strong pair of female hands grabbed him and started tying him up...

"Ara ara~ Where do you think you are going?"

He remembered trying to kick her, only to be slapped silly "Stay where you are, brat!"

He remembered being dragged amongst sobs and being prodded and pushed to the cargo hold of the ships, and their new life, seperated from many friends and kin, taught to work and obey or die. He remembered wails and cries, being taken, hands tied to each other in a long line to a dark port city.

Then he remembered one of the dark elf males (a declining type of mamono, males) , using blood to write strange patterns on a scroll and store it. Theo was scrubbing and wiping the furniture with an iron collar around his neck, never to read anything on pain of death.

Yet a child, and a cunning one grown up in servitude is anything but blindly obedient. He would sneak morsels of food back to his parents half-dead from fatigue, and ask them to be taught letters...To sneak copies of the letters back to his little stash under the slave bed.

"Ma. I want power like them. Power. Mother, please. teach me."

Then he remembered Father expiring from the mine dust, and Mother follow him from grief. He remembered Brig, or Brikha, a little girl who wore better and was treated better than the others, and remembered giving her a small flower he found, and of course, her getting dragged away by a grim looking dark elf woman, and a huge Naga with a bloody knife.

Then he understood why everyone cried and shivered and begged when the strange mystic dark elf womeneyed some slaves.

One fateful day, he kept a scrap of paper on his slave at his jailors...much to their surprise when he opened the papers...

"Y-you….fucking…monsters…" He wept and started chanting as the guards stared at him in confusion, one disturbed at his insult and raising a stick to smack him on the face.

The Dark Elf woman who occasionally fed him better out of some strange sense of pity was staring in shock when her colleague, a Minotaur couple, one of last males and female, shudderedas blood dripping from their weapons formed strange garrote wires and ripped them apart.

The woman flailed and fell back in terror, only to be torn to pieces by slivers of blood which started to grow every time the boy read another scroll, evaporating it.

Another guard screamed in terror and started shouting, his handsome ebon features contorted in shock. Screaming, he ran upstairs to inform the overseers, Theo stepping behind him with a hateful, glowing face:

"UPRISING! UPRISING! FLOOD THE SLAVE BARRA-"

The guards that filled the room froze, jerking in a strange dance as piss and shit fouled their clothing; limbs twisted in impossible angles as the bodies convulsed and were strung apart as if pulled by an invisible hand.

The boy was no longer; he had snapped and turned into a monster.

He had become a monster covered in shimmering patterns of blood. His face was twisted in undescribable hatred and rage after losing everyone. From his mouth roared a scream of sheer, unadulterated hatred.

"DIE!"

When the doors burst open and the once-child stormed towards the chamber where the others were taken, he found the corpses, and on top of them, the open eyed stare of the corpse that wasthe girl who shown him love. The priestesses that cleaned the bodies and harvested their blood stared at him in horror.

The reason children were killed and forbidden to use blood magic was that a child's blood was far more powerful.

The head mystic, a red-robed dark elf stared at him in a mix of disdain and pity. Smiling, she drew a magic wand, only to have her face changed to a look of horror as well, when Theo threw a handful of blood in the air, and screamed a single syllable.

"DIE!"

Squeezing his fists, he squashed the screaming dark elf before him.

"DIE!" Opening his fists, he now spread his fingers, forming the liquefied, burning blood and flesh into a burning red star, he swung his child arms, crying from anguish and hatred, and slicing the temple walls into crumbling stones, using the blood-web he formed to fly, to be thrown away into a quieter place...

...only to land and come face to face with a terrified group of dark elf overseers trying to fend off the hateful slave mob. His nearest adversary had a brown and yellow stream down his white trousers when he stared into his eyes.

"DIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIE!"

The mystics he hated were already liquefied in a boiling torrent of blood. These wretches, slave keepers Theo tormented longer, flaying their skin slowly with a shimmering sliver of blood, savoring her screams. His mind completely unhinged from the trauma of losing her family, he screamed more arcane words now coming on their accord from his mouth, exploding into an uncontrollable spell that started shaking the walls of the entire mine complex.

Around him, other slaves screamed and started an escape not unlike a stampede. Theo had triggerred an arcane earthquake just when a human army was had arrived.

The rest was like a dream; the memories were an endless scream of "No!" decorated with flying torrents of blood and pain until it all blacked out with a splash of cool, sacred water on his face. He woke up, facing a circle of armored human men and women, clean and shining. They had shot him with glass arrows full of water.

"Holy water paralyzed him! Now!" They descended on him with batons.

Then blackness, mercifully, again.

"What the hell am I doing here?" Was Theo's thoughts when he shared a cup of wine with the man before him in a cave.

"That's one hell of a story, friend. Here. One on me, for the lost islands and people in it."

The wine went like juice, cold, refreshing and smelling of pine. The man was from his own nation, a human that ended up on the mainland from Hellas Islands when the country was independent. Now it was a ruin, surviving refugees in Lescatie, the rest, in slavery under monstergirl Empire.

"Easy fella, retsina doesn't stay inside you like it stays in the bottle. But you look like you need it." He spoke in their sing-song language of the islands few besides Centauride and Satyros could understand.

Theo just shrugged and kept smoking the pipe. "Epharisto"

He downed the last retsina.

"Sorry, my wife usually drinks all the stuff. That's all I could spare." The man shrugged apologetically.

"It's alright. She is Satyros, right?" Theo replied. The man nodded.

"Any day now. That's why we shacked up here, she gets upset when she cant drink wine for the kid, and them Satyros kids need wine go grow up. Healthy living and all." Theo smiled at the reply. "Ironic, I know."

"To your child then." They both raised their cups, clinking quietly.

Their toast was joined by a cup of juice as the man raised his eyebrows. His wife had woken up, a beautiful Satyros female dressed in green, practical forest outfit, beautiful horns curled behind her and a pan-flute on her lap. Her pregnancy must have been quite advanced, as her belly could almost be seen moving.

"Sorry, Silena...we had to toast and celebrate."

The Satyros woman nodded, smiling. Her mournful eyes were locked on Theo, her face showed plenty of her own suffering.

"Heard your tale. So, you are him. The Boogeyman."

It was another nickname attached to the horror that stalked mamono lands, of "Slave 4859" transformed into a horror that was rumored to snatch mamono children at night to drink their blood. It was the horror that turned the Slaver Guild into a much more whitewashed dominatrix club of "Guild S". It was the fear that made the mamono leaders treat humanity's subjugation as a necessary evil, looking behind their shoulders every time a human slave was hurt more than necessary.

He had rampaged across many monster settlements he deemed "too dark", a fury unbridled when he broke free from his human jailors, this time trained in war. The New Monster Empress and Demon Lord Agrat even deleted all records of his rampage to avoid disillusionment amongst her subjects.

His existence was the reason Thorn clan of Dark Elves were nearly extinct, or mines full of ill-fed human slaves were abandoned, the humans curiously nowhere to be seen, portions of Reik's map were erased.

His crowning achievement was an ancient Vampire sorceress, who fed on child blood and enacted strange "art" exhibitions called "spirit cooking", was impaled on her own mansion's spire, magically preserved to feel the horror of sunlight as a strange mechanical cage around her was tied to a clockwork, opening and closing its shutters rapidly to burn her slowly, but not kill her for days.

The (now permanently) dead vampire girl's mouth, locked in a dying scream from the inside, and sewn shut with Arachne threads on the outside, flesh painfully stretched, held the key to the Empress' bedchamber. The message was simple.

You are next.

Next week, Mamono Empress hastily enacted "Slave Laws" to ensure wellbeing of her human slave population and protect them from abuse. The Reik had taken the message quietly, and Theo disappeared into obscurity, content for the time being.

Theo laughed quietly. "I am a monster, if you count defending the meek monstrous. You yourself know without violence it don't happen in Dunia."

Silena smiled. "I thought as much. My Husband, Alex, saved me from Guild S when they wanted a debt collection, namely us both as slaves to some Duchess' mansion. We ran away but then, a Lescatian patrol wanted us executed. I don't understand you humans' empire either!"

"Then let me tell you why I don't like Lescatie..." Theo took a drag from his pipe.

He was wrapped in a strange arcane textile and drugged into sleep, only to wake up in an army camp, wrists wrapped in strange clothes. He was fed, washed, and shoved into a trail of ragged, starving children. His terse question of whether these people were slaves was met with mild annoyance, derision and a dry loaf of bread tossed at him.

"Eat, boy. The Inquisition will decide what to do with you." It was a burly knight wearing a full plate armor. An armored woman who had a mace and incense ball on her tip started arguing with him whether it was worth feeding a "witch." Theo didn't care. He was dead inside.

The Academy was a lesser evil compared to his past. Regular meals and better treatment, yet slavery nonetheless.

His wrists were locked in runed cuffs to prevent blood magic. There were regular sermons and chastising just to prevent any "vice" or "heresy"

And confessions. Magically enforced if resisted. He had to tell how he used up the blood of all remaining slaves to rip his captors apart in front of the academy. Children avoided him. Nuns beat him. He was reviled all the same.

"Kinslayer" "Heretic" "Demon-blooded"

"Witch"

He kept the sobriquets as badges of honor. And their worth was well recognized when the Theocracy removed his blockers one day. But until then...He suffered years of "Thou shalt not"s, beatings and chastisements. And being a hateful rebel, he resisted without breaking. Only some unseen favors, as well as interested individuals up above, he thought, spared him.

"FASTER!" The drill instructor screamed, the boys drilled, some with crossbows, some with swords. He took every lesson to heart, and even got sympathized to be let into the library sans blood magic. He devoured every book, every tactics manual and engineering book.

The nuns were surprised that he read without magical aid, which helped his position and security. Even the Headmistress Agatha started to respect him, which he never returned.

"I was brought here in chains, like an animal. Why? Answer me, and I am Lescatie's most loyal soldier."

No one answered.

"WHY?"

No one felt like explaining anything to him in his life whenever something hurtful was done. So be it. Theo hardened his heart, following orders, but with a great deal of malice and cruelty attached.

His suspicions were assured that his treatment for the following weeks improved considerably when he heard a great battle was imminent. Already church bells rang, militiamen embraced their families and horses were raised for war.

He was dragged, again, by armored men to a giant throne room of marble.

"You are sent to a unit of witches like you. Deal as much damage as you can to the enemy, so that Allfather will absolve you upon your death, child." The elderly man announced.

Even so, Theo wanted to speak. His objections to be collared before being led outside were about to be silenced by a slap, he managed to let out one terrific shout, completely overriding his sense of self preservation.

"I'M NOT AN ANIMAL!"

That made everyone pause for just one moment for the elderly man to step forward, approaching him slowly, swatting aside any interference: "But my lord Theocrat, he is-"

The old man who heard the shout walked ever so slowly to the young man who grew up in a crucible of pain. His steps were slow, painful, aided by a long, gnarled stick. His old face, full of wrinkles, wiry white hair under his elaborate, silken cap, almost looked fatherly.

Almost.

"He is a child, as much as I detest sending children to war, he is also a blood mage." He tried to smile at Theo, who at this moment looked at him with disdain and anger.

"What has this to do with me?" He kept his chin high, hands cuffed with antimagic linen he grew to hate all these years. The old man sensed his anger: a simmering fire that bubbled like lava.

"Suppose you will be compensated." The old man spoke kindly.

"Hello? "Deal as much damage as you can to the enemy, so that Allfather will absolve you upon your death, child."" he mimicked with an angry voice. "I'm to be sent to die chained AND you-" He only reluctantly stopped talking when he smiled, and gently raised a hand. Somehow he was charismatic with his every move and display. Once, Theo listened:

"Theophilos, son of Fisherman Thomas, correct?" The old man's face was still kind and patient. Theo nodded hesitantly, wondering how he knew. The old man sighed and leaned on his staff with a look that showed genuine care.

"The monsters that took you and your people to slavery and death...especially the dark elven raiders are Maou's bodyguard now." He raised his eyebrows as if pointing out a good thing. "You can avenge what happened to your family. Is that not what you want?"

Old cunning bastard read his mind.

Theo's cynical smirk split into a barely visible smile.

"No collar. I am not a beast to be led. Nor for my friends, those you labeled "witches". I'll die than wearing another one." Theo exhaled with hate.

Ulrich the Theocrat nodded. "No collar. You have heart and dignity. Commander..." he looked at the man towering over Theo. "They will be treated with dignity."

He was given a sharp dagger and bottles of animal blood, surrounded by fearful men in armor and pikes to prod him, and similar wretches walking along as a Death Brigade, a unit of blood mages culled from witch hunts, since Maou himself was seen marching in his titanic form.

"Dignity..." Theo laughed to himself, completely overridden with black comedy.

So the slave-turned-heretic-turned-witch marched to death again.

He still remembered the Megiddo hill, where monster and men clashed in a huge battle, where squadrons of knights, male and female, singing to Allfather, tore into swarms of multi-limbed Naga, last male orcs, Dark Elven warriors and many other monstrous horrors. He remembered the rusty taste of blood as he repeated his old magic, his animal blood reserve springing to life and burning thousands. When blood ran out... He harvested from the corpses around him.

He found each one, each of his past prey amongst flying arrows, beautiful creatures of the past, ignoring a lowly human approaching them amongst the chaos of screaming monsters, cavalry, and beautiful monstergirls trying to kill or rape men. Each slaver he killed, whispering his family's name in their ears amongst the din of war.

One by one he unleashed horrible spells used by tons of blood, so intense that the hill no longer grew life on it, and animals around it gave stillbirths and mutated dead fetuses for years. Infusing himself with stolen lifeblood from each slaver, he launched himself at Maou's throat amongst the screams. The whole battlefield paused momentarily to watch him like a tick, like a piranha, tear at the huge Demon Lord, who roared and feebly batted at the crazed human on his neck.

When the Monster Lord disintegrated, the Human army found him in a hill full of corpses, their blood dancing around him in a macabre shield.

When the knights tried to arrest him, he lashed out, mowing down everyone on his path, screaming hate and blood magic. This time he was faster and avoided holy water barrages.

Neither army followed him as he took the form of a beast and rampaged towards safety.

"Sorry, I shouldn't have told what happened next." Theo took his pipe to his lips, sensing the satyr woman's unease.

"It's alright. You did what you had to do." Silena smiled, her gravid pregnancy making her wince. Alex nodded.

"So, what is your plan then?" Alex asked.

Theo sighed. "There are two remaining. Many more, actually but if the two die, the rest will understand."

"Understand what?" Silena blinked.

Theo's young face was haggard with a three-day stubble. His eyes spoke decades of pain, and his voice sounded much older.

"I'm no academy fop. I'm no philosopher. I'm no saint. But I know one thing. Without a...heavy argument, or...enforcing, things dont change. You dont plead and ask for change. You make the person quiver in fear if it is evil. You make a sound. You dont make a rap on door. You make a thunderclap."

"Don't you think you adopted this view...because of...?" The Satyros woman asked carefully not to poke. "Maybe there is a better way."

"Maybe. Later I will consider. Now, two remain. Shindalla. Azaneal."

The mention of the names made Silena the Satyros shudder.

"Them?"

"Them."

"The rest? Tomoko the Black Hearted? The Twenty Hellsnakes?"

"Turned into bloody salsa, roast SNEK and void-ash."

Silena could no longer meet his gaze.

"Sorry." Theo bowed his head.

The Satyros woman gazed at him in newfound respect. "Yet it also affected you."

Theo nodded. "I am infertile. Yes. I learned that Blood Magic also drains one's future, literally. I will have no sons or daughters. But it doesn't matter. I became a weapon when kids my age played pat-a-cake." Looking at the beautiful goat-horned woman, he emphasized:

"Others' hate turned me into this. And I want to confess something. Since you are good people...My rampages killed humans too. I even murdered human collaborators or slave overseers you know..."

Both looked at him in shock as he confessed his deepest guilt.

"I...snapped and killed someone saying "I should get over it.", a year ago. In an extremely torturous way. Another day, I had taken refuge in a barn." He took a sip of his flask before continuing. "A young man, not older than me, was getting browbeaten by his mother, even slapped and his hair pulled." He wistfully sighed and looked up. "Poor fucker was raised like an idiot. Shoulda seen the tirade she screeched about "conforming" and "being everyone else"." He chuckled.

"Something snapped in me. When I was myself, the room was covered with blood, with the poor fucker scared out of his mind. I doubt he'll recover."

Sileena hugged her lover closer and looked away.

"Gods, you should have seen the dude getting humiliated by his sister and mother. I believe I did him a service doing that." His nervous laughter didn't have the effect on the pair, especially the shocked Satyros.

The cave was very silent for some time, followed by a short chuckle.

"They were slaves to a plantation, and he was...a slave?" He added as if asking. Their reactions did not change.

"Suddenly, I'm the Boogeyman again, am I not?" His morose face cast an evil shadow with the firepit's light shining under it. "I know I'm hellbound in a world that didn't like me, so I offer no remorse or apology for these. Reason I quit killing most slavers. Many humans that found freedom turned out to be worse bastards than slavers sometimes. Incest. Humiliation. Hating others and shacking up in disgusting lairs just for the hell of it..." Booze made him talk openly.

Both, human and pregnant monsterwoman, looked towards the fire, afraid, worried and unable to speak.

"Don't worry. I will leave at sunrise. Just don't stab me to death. My blood is toxic and it would kill your child." He had lied. "Believe me, I rarely regret that kill I made."

Neither occupant said anything else when he lay to sleep.

At sunrise, when the ragged youth left the cave, there was no goodbye.

He kept a steady pace, intending to respectfully decline passing trade carts' offers to take him. He planned to walk for days until he hit the capital of the mamono empire, Reikshold.

The days passed uneventfully, the road spent under his feet. One day, the forests gave way to Reikhold.

Reikhold.

Monstergirl empire's capital, where beauty, bondage, power and passion surged forth to the world, now led by a more benevolent succubus empress Agrat. Theo cursed quietly. It was still far, far away on foot. Time to hitchhike. He cursed again, hating his increasing weariness and laziness.

At least there was a caravan approaching. He prayed to whatever god was listening that these wouldn't be an unlicensed slaver monstergirl. He hated leaving bloody smears where there was no need.

Eventually, the trade caravan caught up with him, a very large carriage driven by two of the mamono. Squinting, he looked closer.

One was a monstergirl who looked way too shy. She was dressed in a peasant dress one size too large for her, with the hint of a tail behind her, with large ears and feet: A troll, Theo mused.

The driver was equally large, with quite pointy ears and green skin, and a hint of a gleaming tusk protruding from her lower lips. When she got closer with a grin on her face, Theo noticed her curvy body, clad in a light shorts and shirt, with abs, rippling body and large breasts that strained her shirt.

Her hair was red, tied in a ponytail, and an assortment of weapons and bottles bulged visible even from the outside of the carriage.

Orc. He never met an orc save for a few males he killed at Megiddo, much less females. She was surprisingly attractive.

"Howdy boyo." A husky female voice called out. "You all alone by yourself on the road? Reik's dangeous y'know." The orc noticed his neck free of collar. "Freedman?"

His lack of collar on his neck made her raise her eyebrows. "Y'know, so close to the slave market, you got some balls walking unescorted and without dem travel papers. A lot of mamono would just snatch and sell you if not keeping you fo' themselfs."

He turned aside as the cart stopped, hiding his martial air. "I'm a trader ma'am. Sellin' the family stuff." He pointed to his backpack.

"Buyin' yer family's freedom?"

"Oh we did, we all freedmen. Just making a coin for other of my kin is all." He smiled. The orc was doing all the talking, the troll girl just watched him with a low, unfocused stare lacking confidence.

"I'm Zana. She's Amber." The orc gestured at both with a tusky grin. "Wanna lift?"

"Yes please." He slowly stepped towards the carriage, lifting a leg and sitting next to them. Grinning, the orc girl relaxed the reins, letting the horses trot further.

Both were friendly, and he sensed they wanted what most monstergirls wanted at the end of the day. No need to complicate things: he tagged along.

"So, young un, got a name?" The driving orc girl was cheerful, with a farmer's straw hat on her head, and a farmer's summer getup it was obvious she was a pig farmer working with trolls and gremlin girls down south, next to Human city of Aquileia.

Those kind of people were Theo's favorite: they treated humans as part of family (even when they technically owned them as property), and were laid back and tolerant, albeit not the best in cleanliness department.

But, damn, they were cute in a funny sort of way, and friendly, even without the succubus' curse, Orcs when they were bigendered, unlike the stories were still on relatively friendly terms with the islanders, however they kept a morality different than men: only men that could beat them would be regarded as equal. That made them similar to a socially less than sufferable distant relative of humans with tusks and thick skin.

And Theo remembered, her muscular arm pulling him to sit closer was a signal of dominance. He sat still and leaned into her arms signaling submission, which made her smile at her gently.

"Gintaras, Ma'am." He replied politely, trying not to lose concentration leaning to her large breasts. His shoulder leant on the right one, softly sinking a little before a knowing wink on her part relaxed him.

"'s ok sweetie..." The Orc grinned "...also what kind of name is that?"

"It's Ugaric." When the orc twisted her face a bit, Theo added : "Way up north, past Lescatie beyond the lakes."

That roused both monstergirls' attention : "How come ya ended up here humie? Dark Elves bought you from your poor farmer family? Those bastards comb every foundling, orphan house and city...well..." She took a sip from her bottle which smelt strongly. "...beats oldschool raiding..."

"I was a foundling, ya know orphan. One day the village elders just take me to a dark elven lady, saying I should be nice to her and would live with her. So ended up working on a dark elf caravan until some farmer mamono wanted a human boy for farmhand." He was amazed at his own wit to conjure such a story, chuckling to himself. "Got adopted, bought our freedom a year ago when harvest bumped."

"Good for you lad." The orc woman laughed, offering him a sip. "Want sum? Careful tho, malt liquor strong enuff to kill an ox." Hesitantly, Theo grasped the bottle and sniffed, twisting his nose, only for the orc girl to grin and push it. "Come on boy, chug!"

He closed his eyes, and drew a long swig of a burning hot rush of lava that seared his stomach.

The green thunder before his eyes and the grass statue next to him said it was OK, so it was, probably, to his senses where he saw the sounds and tasted the colors. Thursday seriously felt like violets. Singing would wash the colors away from his skin so he kept quiet.

"Oi... oi?" The orc blinked, her face split in a mischevious grin. "Oops."

He fainted.

Theo slept.

He could not realize he was naked to the skin, on a warm caravan bed.

"Is he going to be alright?" The timid, cute voice came from the troll girl.

"Heh. He is alright, look how hard he is." He felt a soft tongue around his cock, slowly massaging his glans and head. The soft, sucking sensation around his crotch sent waves of wet pleasure. "*slurp* He is healthy alright. Let's spend the night here. Close the curtains, sweetheart."

"Zana, I don't think that's proper..."

"PROPER?" The sucking ended with a laughter. "Hun, he is alright with that, just wait till he comes around. What's with you anyway? You want him, don't you?" Smiling, the orc girl leaned and kissed his cheeks, as well as bottlefeeding the awakening Theo some water. "Slowly honey..."

Theo, once the cool water slowly brought him up the world of awareness, ironically saw that he was naked, and laid on the soft bed of the caravan with two naked monstergirls around him. Groaning, he shifted. No use. The orc woman had him pinned down, having him completely stripped nude, and bathed him. He felt a light breeze over his naked sin, having been completely depilated too; orcs saw that not worthy in their conquests.

Crap. Her sweet voice caressed his ears with a whispering breeze, belying her strength.

"Wakey wakey, eggs and rapey!" The Orc giggled, completely naked, straddling him. Her body was a dark green, breasts that were large as melons, yet firm and gravity-defying. She sat on his legs, her bottom, naked, rubbed on his knees, her soft ass and pussy completely engulfing him above the knee. "Thought we'd take the hint and shack for the night."

Theo sighed, smiling. He expected sex, but not like this. Still, it was good to let go to such a powerful orc girl who did not restrain him and slap a collar on him. Chances were that she did this for her friend anyway.

"Well sweetheart, you alright? Feeling dizzy?" The orc woman grinned, her enormous breasts engulfing Theo's painfully erect member like to soft pillows."Sorry... we took a little advantage. Don't worry, we won't collar you or anything." She kepy massaging his member with her enormous breasts. "That's what we want."

Theo smiled and relaxed, concentrating on his manhood. "Alright, I'll play a-mmph." The orc shifted her hips, completely sitting on his face. "Get that tongue working, boy. Amber, sample his cock." She smiled, feeling his tongue slowly work across her pussy and savoring the feeling.

"Just like thaat~" She moaned, throwing her head back.

Engulfed by warm feminine flesh, Theo stuck out his tongue, and softly took the soft-skinned green pussy to his mouth, obliging to humor his orc captor. Slowly he gave a little lick. It was tasty: like caramel and lemon combined. He closed his mouth on it, sucking and licking the soft, inviting crevice on her tough body. The humming feeling of her moans combined the pleasure of his cock touching something wet and sucking on his own body: the troll girl was tempted, apparently. His unbound hands he lay on the orc girl's chest, squeezing her enormous breasts, earning a ruffle on his hair as he was being fellated.

"Just like that boy. You are ours now..." Zana moaned, licking her gave a surprised giggle as the troll girl, formerly shy, gave a squeeze on her butt nestled on Theo's face, one finger even probing her puckered asshole and kneading her voluminous bottom. "Oh my..."

Zana moaned louder when a finger slowly entered her asshole as hands kneaded her bubble butt. Amber was before her, hesitantly looking at the penis pointing to her cute face like a strange new toy. Zana smiled as the troll-girl gave a hesitant lick to its tip, her mouth slowly starting to open and her lips slowly started to engulf the head.

Theo gave a hiss of pleasure as Amber leaned forward, and bit by bit, took the erect penis inside her mouth until her breathing became hoarse, and her lips touched the shaven base.

Theo felt amazing, so pleasurable that he took solace in surrendering to the sweet laid before him, lost control and groaned, his cock twitching and unloading to the cavernous throat engulfing it. He felt being drained, emptying his balls into her throat.

Amber was in heaven. The moment her mouth engulfed the hard, hot cock, she felt like sucking it dry. It was her first time she had a taste of male seed, and it was intoxicating. The troll girl, her mouth closed on his shaft, gulped down every last bit, savoring the male essence she never had a chance to sample.

"Keep lickin'" Zana grinned, gently caressing Theo's cheek, stopping his gasps short, keeping her smile. "Go on boy, the booze will charge ye up in a moment..." Her moans increased when her instruction hit home. The licking resumed, with the troll girl's head still buried in his crotch, cheeks bulging.

He had to admit: it was an interesting evening to pass the time. The orc's left hand, tender as ever, caressed his hair even as he suckled and kissed her clean-shaven pussy, still lost in a sea of sudden rush of pleasure, having his crotch entirely occupied by a troll girl's attentions. His mind feld pure bliss at being immobilized by two friendly mamono who genuinely had no overt wish to keep him. Not that they could: a night where he felt safe in the arms of someone, even sexually, was extremely rare. Arms hugging his legs, a second, plump, warm body engulfing his was even better: he kept licking, even leaning on the hand caressing his hair which made the orc Zana smile. Slowly licking while the orc girl caressed his head felt heavenly; losing himself in the loving bliss,

Her increasing breathing, and plump thighs clamping on his head signaled she was approaching her own climax, as the boy under her kept rapidly licking her most intimate part.

Lick by lick as his tongue worked on the orc girl's clit, Zana's own body started convulsing, the waves of pleasure eventually breaking her composure and making the her scream in ecstacy, and roll off to her side, gasping for air, leaving him a sweet taste on his lips.

The troll girl, from the corner his eye, looked like she was enjoying a popsicle

The troll's kiss tasted like flower nectar. Her teeth, though sharp, did not hurt him. Smiling and surrendering to the passion, he hugged her. Her body felt like soft pillows stacked on him, skin warm and smelling of...strong...flowers and sweat. Trolls smelled, but that smell actually infused men with a raging erection and strength even when they were not smell fetishists...As her soft velvet cavity in which he thrust, filling his cock with the same, silky, slippering, warm feeling charged him again and again.

Kissing the troll girl's cute lips with a soft smack, he turned her over, kissing her voluptuous breasts with soft sounds. Slowly he lifted her inviting legs, putting each over his shoulders, looking deep into her eyes which looked at him with adoration.

"You are so cute."

Her tongue tasted like flower nectar and vegetables. Trolls were adorable earth-bound creatures, bodies full of voluptuous fat all in the right places and childbearing hips that invited his cock to the hilt with soft delight hidden inside. Most interesting part was that whenever he would climax, the spurts almost disappeared in her body, making her moan and scream every time.

A troll's pussy was a soft, inviting organ, with demonic energy charging his heartbeats with every thrust, as if he was drunk on manticore venom or love potions. Her hands exploring his backside felt warm and pleasing, but he kindly smiled at her and slowed down once a gentle finger probed where it should not. Looking back and smiling back at the orc girl who had snuck on him with a giggle, he shook his head.

"Suit yourself." The orc smiled,pouring herself a beer and relaxing.

He thrust inside the troll girl again, savoring her kiss, and gentle rub of her tusks on him, careful not to hurt him. He increased his pace again, making the bed shake and her scream.

They kept going at it for the rest of the night, as the orc girl snuck next to them, sleepy.

"Oh gods...oh gods... OH GODS!" Was Amber's cry when he groaned, and nearly fainted from the third climax on top of her.

They snuggled, and slept soundly for hours. Theo did not mind when both snuggled him, muscled body on front, and soft breasts and idle kisses on his face every hour.

Before dawn, he groaned with a soft, wet suckle on his cock. Zana could not stop sucking him off every time she woke up. He fell asleep, again as he unloaded inside the orc girl's throat. He barely registered his lips locking with the troll girl's as he fell deep asleep, again.

"Wakey 3"

He was nudged as the sun was already on top. Midday?

"Hmmph..." Hands massaged his balls, that woke him up. Amber, the troll girl was inspecting his penis and balls like a toy, but shied away and giggled when she noticed him waking up.

"Sorry."

"It's alright. Go ahead if you enjoy." Theo had dropped the pretense. Let her enjoy the time.

"Why don't we buy you a few boys, Amber? You drained the poor bugger's balls back there, sure you needed this." The orc laughed. "They have young boys on discount this week."

"I... I don't know if I should keep a slave." The troll shyly replied, still in sweat, now hugging her body and using her flowery growths to cover herself.

"Buy a whole serf family and free them then." The orc rationalized. "Ya think a freedman would leave a cutey buns like you? You'd be the best host family to them in the Reik!"

They ate breakfast with no small joy. His orc host had even handed her a lunch bag of beer and bacon afterwards.

"Keep it for your strength, lad. Gonna meet me later, y'hear?" She winked, tusky cute lips curling in a sweet smile.

He headed for the Grand Market after putting on a small iron collar around his neck, cut his fingers and smeared the lines to his face. He let his backpack full of little gifts for later before the spell hit him.

"Change always hurts." Was his thoughts as his head felt on fire as blood magic took over his flesh.

The market had lost much of his cruelty, yet the air was the same. The open air entrance looked better than the past, with human servants scurrying to sell food and tools, often at behest of their mamono owners or to earn their freedom money were they captured from Lescatie. He could see clear safeguards against abuse and regular health checks he helped come true.

Theo smiled. The minority had become the majority. And their living standards were at least tolerable now, a far cry from ages of cruelty.

He approached the market with a careful stride from a less-than-diligently protected gate, before which two Minotaur girls stood: New Age's monsters apparently, facial features almost human, save for horns on cute foreheads, hooves, muscles and wild, shaggy hair fit on a Yak or a Buffalo than a human.

And said minotaur girl guards were, by their looks , quite interested in him as he confronted them.

"Welcome, human. Whose slave are you?" The older one cocked an eyebrow at his inscribed steel collar, biting her lips. She must be upset he wasn't free for her to use.

Theo bowed slightly. "Good day ma'am. I have come on behalf on Mistress Lucretia to collect a shipment of hers, a chest with golden markings."

The other, younger one sneered. "Leave it to Lucretia to snag the prettiest ones." Her expression changed when Theo unpacked two foamy bottles of beer and fresh jerky.

"She also instructed me to reward hardworking guards." He handed the supplies to each grubby monstergirl: Minotaurs were slobs across the ages, so now, these were cute slob girls with brown, wild hair, horns, muscles and a good libido to boot.

The minotaur girl smiled broadly and snorted, her tomboyish human-like features lighting in delight at the food. "Now we are talking. What did you say the chest was?"

Theo knew the rules, and feigned ignorance. "She just told me to carry the contents back to her plantation, marked with her family insignia. Chest was gold-painted, that's what I was told." The storeroom with the letter "L" was where he needed to be.

The minotaur guards chugged down and chomped on the meat happily. "Fine. Follow Melinda, she'll take you there." She rang a small bell next to her guard hut:

"Melinda! One of your humie brothers needs guiding!" Her call was answered by a hurried female voice.

"Coming, ma'am!" The girl that arrived to help him was a small, petite human woman with a white shirt, short skirt and a small leather collar with a large ring. She wore a pair of glasses and small leather boots that made her look like a lay priestess of Lescatie. her cheek was tattooed with a lily, indicating she might have been from a Lescatian priesthood. Her face was plain, skin color like chocolate, and features of southern Qadimi, and her glasses kind of helped draw attenton to her nose which was a bit plain and had an Ermorian ridge.

She could pass as a simple peasant girl, if she wouldn't be dressed provocatively; being very plain, but wearing an exquisite eye makeup. Theo watched her as she respectfully kept her head down, hands knotted before her submissively, and curtsied before the minotaur girl.

"He needs to get to the storeroom "L"" The minotaur girl grunted, ruffling her head affectionately, making Theo notice there was affection between them as well as master-slave relationship. "Be a good girl and take him there would you? I'm ordering food for dinner, so you won't have to cook."

"Follow me please." She waved him to follow towards the red building, flinching as the minotaur girl tapped her bottom as she turned. Theo's heart took a little jump: to be cared for, taken and kept and kept in affection for chores tickled him.

But after what happened a decade and more... He shook his head, following her. At least the short cotton skirt and her swaying curvy hips made a nice spectacle.

Theo didn't look back as a coffle of human captives with binds were being taken to another building.

"Can't save everyone at the same fucking time…" he mumbled. At least he knew they'd be treated decently unless they tried dumb heroism.

"A...B..."

The assistant slowly counted the storerooms according to their letters as they kept walking, side by side. Theo noticed some stares at the girl,who clearly looked subdued, but content.

"So...how is the household of Lucretia?" Melinda felt talkative, apparently, judging from her inquisitive tone and cheerful air.

Theo smiled. "Hard but fair. No beatings "beyond necessary" and I think I sired one of her daughters...

Melinda giggled. "They do use human men a lot, do they?"

Theo's heartbeats rose. He didn't feel this way for ages. Sex and love had come alien to him when he was focused on work and sober. Growing up in slavery where female monsters dominated would have an adverse effect usually, but Theo had been forged in a traumatic crucible. Still, the servile attitude of the girl's outfit had an effect on him.

"Yes. Virility is a definite plus. Mistress likes when all her household is happy and pleased. Her bed is always full with...ahem...testing young bucks... I was allowed to call her "Trish" when she was pleased with me."He grinned with strain: he'd rather bite off his tongue than serving a dark elf.

"Um..." Melinda had stopped advancing. "Really?"

"Pregnancy bonus for women are quite generous. Low-level labor and extra food. But enough about me. How come you...?" He slowly extended a hand on her cheek out of dumb,wild impulse.

Melinda squirmed under the gesture, her look uneasy. "Well, I and many others were caught in a skirmish when an outpost was attacked. I...was sold to the guard captain, the older Minotaur girl you dealt with. She is fair I guess. I bring her lunch and dinner to the post and usually guide newcomers to the market."

"You miss your old life?" The girl stuttered, and her voice shook. "Sometimes. Though I was disowned when I joined the military."

Theo raised his eyebrows, drinking her curves in when she walked. Her hips were a bit wide, and her round bottom strained the intentionally flimsy servile garment.

"B-but I am allowed to pray and keep my faith, and here the human servants need guidance too. And I am a skilled nurse and midwife." She tapped her arm, a tattoo of Caduceus Of Twin Snakes. "So i am useful to humans here."

Her reasoning was sound enough.

They passed a middle-aged Dark Elf woman, just a bit old enough to carry an air of authority rather than playful mischevious domineering air her youth was good at. She was clad in conservative, academical clothes, leading a young, human girl that enthusiastically waved at Melinda before resuming her work and following her owner's instructions.

Obviously the Dark Elf's slave, she was dressed in a wizard's basic clothes sans the robe with a skimpier cut around her breasts. Mildly overweight, she sported a purple skirt which showed her curves. On her back was a large pack of documents, in her arms a notebook and a pencil set. Her eyes glowed with joy every moment she followed her mistress on a leash, attached to the leather collar on her neck like a pet...

Everything the woman said, and bargained, and decided, the girl was noting down with devotion every step of the way. Her face was one of awe and love combined, her body kept in shape by corsets, straps and obviously form-changing clothes.

"Who is that?" Theo raised an eyebrow.

"Kayliss? She well... a prisoner like me, captured in a skirmish. When she was most resisting, that dark elf...what was her name...Quin'da...? took her for...a talk. They just talked and talked. After that..." She shrugged. "She is crazy fawning over Quin'da, more like a pet, and she loves it. She bought her from the prisoners and keeps her as some... slave secretary." Melinda looked on as the master-slave couple acted more like a pet-and-owner, the dark elf caressing the human girl's hair, and plump rear absentmindedly as she wrote, only to receive a sigh and lean as both pored over some trade deal going on where a goblin girl showed an array of gems and tools and haggled over prices.

Kayliss only missed a word with a gasp where the dark elf's hand touched somewhere intimate.

"I believe the poor wizard girl is in love with her master. Wonder what she told her?" Melinda shrugged. "At that rate, she will be a slave for life."

"Well, looks like she is being treated well at least." Theo observed with mild annoyance, forgetting his masquerade of slave social status. When he saw the girl raise her eyebrows, he changed the subject quickly.

"Hmm...Are you seeing someone?" Why not, in a few hours none would matter anyway. Besides if he got lucky, making love, or at least courting a normal human in the market, far away from home, would mask his infertility. Best to attack head-on.

"...no." The girl turned to look at him with an awkward smile. "I am...I mean, not that-"

"Attractive, you think?" He cocked his head and smiled. Throwing all caution to the wind, he extended a hand to touch her cheek. Since she seemed inexperienced, she'd not find his bluntness a source of suspicion.

Again, per turn of luck, she didn't slap it away and kept smiling. "B-but Sir! Weren't you for retrieving your owner's property?" His sweet smile, or her apparent interest and perhaps, desperation somehow had disarmed her. A woman of any species had permission to deny any sexual advances in mamono kingdom, Succubus Monster Queen's courtesy. Violently if needed.

They looked at each other quietly as passing mamono and servants winked and nudged each other. Some of the girl's acquaintenances even commented that she had found someone.

"I think we should head to the Storeroom L first." Theo smiled, making some mamono laugh and comment about finding some free beddingnext to Storeroom L.

For all their faults, mamono had always kept the accessability of sex and relaxation to a maximum to prevent any rebellious motivations against them.

Their passing comments were picked up by the waiting Minotaur guards. "Ha. Melly finally is going to stop sighing loudly at night."

"You might need another servant if she gets knocked up." Her colleague commented, sharpening her axe. "Human babies take months and make their moms crazy."

"Don't worry. I'll buy some of the newcomers. That human boy that was brought in looks real scared and hurt."

A hundred miles away, the Dark Elf Theo said who owned him was in her mansion, with the usual nightly pastime of Dark Elves: With her husband, in bed, fucking like rabbits, on top of him. Two centuries and four husbands didn't wear the athletic monster-woman out, her body as fit as ever.

The creaks and moans echoed across the hall as they had sounded for decades, even the newest maids rolling their eyes and getting back to work.

Trish screamed as another blast of hot cum erupted in her womb. Straddling her husband-and-slave, her hips continued the furious slapping on his tormented cock and her hungry womb milked her husband's cock dry. "Oh gods, I love you, Jared." Full of sweat and heaving, Trish collapsed on him. Slave or not, Trish loved him.

Caught 20 years ago and given to her as a gift, Jared was the ideal husband a dark elf craved. Nothing in human society to look back, just enough masculinity, and submissive to her tastes, and virile and fruitful as a randy stud horse. They eventually grew to genuinely love each other, had sired fifteen children and her household grew in size over the years.

Trish even let her other stud slaves go, letting them go free, or "marry" the female human servants as they wished. Jared was enough for her.

"Trish...Lucretia?"

"Hmm?" She snuggled up to him, her body slick with sweat, and muscles exhausted.

"Our last…Vina… maybe we should leav-"

"No." Trish cut him off. "Love, it's our tradition. It breeds aggression and dominance. She at least should catch one human if she is worthy of my blood. Otherwise it means, she is a slave. And I won't hesitate selling her cute butt on the market if she continues her lazy "artist" life. Dark Elf girls can be slaves too, you know."

"As you say." Jared knew better to argue with her wife-cum-mistress. She would be cruel once aroused."If you note my opinion, slave as I am, I don't mind her loving a woman." Jared smiled sweetly at Trish. She shot back a melancholic look.

"Love between women is even more complicated, Jared, my love. Trust me."

*BANG BANG BANG*

"What in the name of Monster Lord at this hour?" The door was being knocked.  
"Pino! Daisy! Mind the door damnit!" Trish grumbled. She'd cock-cage the servants if they kept rutting at every convenience.

At the door waited an Anubis, dressed like a human witch-hunter, in a long coat and a large hat with ear holes. She held a cigarette in her furry paws.

"Detective Otep, Anubis. Ma'am, we need to talk."

"Storeroom K, Love District, Storeroom L..." The human girl's voice trailed off as she now added some of the other buildings in her list, with Theo holding her hand softly as they kept walking the cavernous underground tunnels.

Both looked at each other in awkward silence. One an uncouth savage terrorist in disguise, another a naive human girl snatched from her life to start another, both idled near the tunnels.

The Love District was a tacky place even for the mamono. Pink hearts and colorful cherub paintings decorated the entrances as mamono and human alike wandered in. It was easy to hide in such a place.

Melinda blushed and looked away as one of the entrances had a giggling pair of half-naked succubus schoolgirls, and a few Ushi-Oni and a shy scorpion-girl, and a Jorogoumo, an Eastern Arachnid girl, running towards one of the hotels with a dozen young men in tow, each still having their backpacks on, suggesting they planned an after-school party. Graduation in new mamono schools which raised all human children and mamono side-by-side was...wild, Dark Elf teachers encouraging the kids to explore "their healthy instincts." Particularly with monstergirls that may not be palatable with the conventional crowd like insectoid or really demonic ones. Making the boys accustom themselves to all mamono kin, monsterish or not, made each happy.

"FIRST ONE TO MAKE A HUNDRED MEN CUM WINS GOLD COINS!"

"Love potions! Love potions! Gives fire to your loins and joy to your heart!" A Fluffy Tanuki toted her vendor plate with pink potions, hanging from her shoulders.

"Softest leather slave collars and cuffs! Give your servants comfortable identities!" A human girl carried a tray of collars and cuffs, smiling happily as her Dark Elf owner counted coins. She looked happy, making Theo raise his brows. Oh well, to each his own.

"Finest stud slaves and girls this side of the world! Adopt a lonely human boy to share your life with!"

Both looked at each other, smiling. Melinda's eyes drifted to the quite large cock dangling from the young man in tow, smiling to potential buyers. Theo rolled his eyes as each locked gazes , making Melinda blush.

The poor girl was overloaded with demonic sensations and desire much in contrast to her philosophy. Theo would take advantage of this. Why not? He might be dead tomorrow.

Theo smiled wider. Melinda suddenly burst into laughter, which was one of the sweetest sounds Theo heard. The girl liked him, and everything felt so alright. He took her hand and led her inside and she did not mind: Human slaves were allowed, and even encouraged to enter.

They passed the gaggle of vendors, mamono who look around for suitable men, and finally found a small love hotel. "The Warm Hearth." The last letter "h" was fading away.

It was an underground building of pink bricks with a set of blue windows and a cozy interior. The receptionist was a Blue Oni, a strong demon girl with muscles, a horn on her forehead, glasses and blue skin, reading a book. She adjusted her glasses and smiled broadly at the girl she recognized.

"Ah, Melly! Didn't expect to see you here but preaching to the servants..." She chuckled, adjusting her glasses and hiding her own blush from an early morning sake.

"Well, we'd like a room..." Theo coughed.

"Sure. I'll bill your owner, or...?" The Blue Oni raised an eyebrow as a few silver coins landed on her tray. "Want some lubricant or love potions? Or fertility potions? You look kinda famished, human." She squinted at him, making his heart stop for a second. Older mamono smelled fertility (or lack of, and blood magic taint if he was unlucky).

"I'm Trish's stud slave. I'll be fine." He just took the key and pulled Melinda with her. The Blue Oni shouted after them "Lucky girl!"

Passing corridors full of closed doors with moans and bed creaks behind them, offering pleasures beyond their ideas. Theo and Melinda finally found their little room with a big bed, mirrors and small furnishing, passing right a row of succubi and humans in vicious copulation, the sounds of wet slaps filling the corridor. Melinda looked a little sad and depressed, much to Theo's surprise. Her face had a mask of deep sadness as she squirmed in her slavegirl uniform even when they entered their room to relax.

"Something wrong?"

She sniffled. "I heard what she said." For a small diversion before his inevitable mission, Theo felt concerned. "What do you mean?"

"Lucky girl...It's because...I'm not pretty like these...monsters." Her eyes were teary. "It's called "Luck of the Ugly Girl" where I am from." She simply plopped on the bed and sighed, on the verge of crying.

Rude he may be at times, Theo sighed, and sat next to her.

"Take it easy. Mamono probably don't even know about human beauty standards. Or even care." He decided to change the tone. "And you are beautiful. Sure, you don't look like them but-"

"Ah come on. Every last of them are beautiful..." She wept quietly..."And I...I know why I get funny looks when I wander near the love district...I..." She sobbed a few times.

"Wait a minute...you are of the Order..." Theo probed carefully, only to get a harsh retort.

"I was a lay sister. Just a nurse! I didnt take any vows. Why do you think I was put to day work with good stuff..."

Theo blinked without comprehension.

"I was alright with it from day one when I was taken, tied up and marched to be ransomed. Since no one bothered to ransom a lay sister, I was sold to that minotaur guard as a servant. I kinda...didn't mind since she treated me well." She spoke these words as if confessing a dark sin. Theo motioned her to continue.

"I learned mamono lands were real happy places for women who submitted to their rule and yoke." She poured herself some wine from the fresh bottle, complimentary gift of the house. "It was better for me, yes...but still..." Taking a drink, she went on. "All of them taking pity on me, talking behind my back..."Oh sure, that Melly is cute but could be prettier...Doubt she'll have a boyfriend and kids with that face..."

Her monologue, although speaking of a life far more privileged than Theo, still tickled some part of his heart. Usually he would feel like slapping whining people with tiny problems, bar himself (he just headbutted the walls when angry). But the girl wasn't the most attractive person in this world, and the world had become much prettier over the years. She was simply, the runt of the human litter.

And he knew that the gossip and "grapewine" was merciless to such women, no matter what species they were, women were women. Being no deep philosopher, or complicated mindreader either, he simply tried the most sensible thing he knew. Melinda gasped as ahand slowly slid inside her dress, softly sliding inside her skırt and caressing her thighs. Using the other, Theo softly grasped Melinda's chin, and leant for a kiss.

Her gasp of surprise turning to white hot lust, Melinda kissed back with such ferocity that Theo was himself surprised in return; but it was the sheer heat and wetness of her sweet spot under her underwear that surprised him.

As her own hands started caressing him in an awkward but lustful way, he let his guard down for a few hours. It was indeed good, good to hold a soft, warm, feminine body of his own species, a body that smelled just right. It was good to hold a woman that wouldn't wrestle him into paste after a frenzied lust for sex.

It was good to hold a human woman, and kiss her deeply of a mouth that tasted like the fountain of life. It was good to be with an equal, one day, a moment before his penultimate ordeal. It was good to lay on a soft bed, a human partner in his arms; each hurriedly undressing to look at each other naked. His lıps went to kiss and suckle the girl's ample human breasts topped with brown, imperfect nipples; his hands wandered and stripped her to the skin, admiring her imperfect curves and cute ass.

Her right buttock had the signature tattoo of Guild S, marking her as property of the Reik and a mamono.

"Huh..." The girl gasped when Theo gently laid her on her back, and leaned down, showered her neck with kisses. Her vision went wild in white sparks as she felt her hot womanhood invaded and the male body that showered her with love became closer, warming her, boiling her blood. Strange that fucking a human woman, invading her deep crevice, without even foreplay this time, felt right. She was ready the moment they entered the district, already gleaming with lust and energy, eager to feel him inside her.

He didn't regret one moment, since he did not know the details. Details were all that mattered.

Melinda cried out when he thrust a bit further, tearing her maidenhead; the cry itself unlike a cry of ecstasy. Melinda's dream would be to give her virginity to a person she wanted to marry. She had it now.

She'd be disappointed when the rush of pleasures, thrusts, and the heat of bodies would fade.

"Hey. They saw your servant and that newcomer guy going to the love district before the storeroom." The younger minotaur girl liked to poke fun at the older one especially after her new servant could now be off-duty for some months. Pregnancy was deeply respected in Mamono Reik.

The older one laughed. "Let the poor things rut. We work them hard enough, would be unfair if my little Melly and Mr. Mysterious didn't have a romp." She downed last of her beer.

"Maybe you could join them in. I SAW you eyeing that kid's toned ass." The younger one laughed.

"Nah, she is virgin. Let the poor lass have her private night."

"WHAT?" The younger minotaur almost fell off her chair. "VIRGIN?"

"Humans, remember? They prude, and don't...exactly NEED to...get cum or sex past childhood, unlike us. They are weird. We need them though. Last male minotaur died a decade ago, defending human children of all sorts..."

"I remember Toro, he was a good man too."

"To him."

"To him." They bumped beer bottles. Toro was a local hero, dying when he held his own country's death squads from killing an orphanage, fighting against Maou as an outlaw for years. That made a lot of minotaur girls avoid the draft, and look kindly on humans.

So both minotaurs sat at the gate well until the night...

"I am in a world where monsters are turned into cute girls with monster features and need to take men to procreate, I am in their midst. And under me, covered in sweat, naked and moaning is a human girl, who is less than attractive, yet I feel so good. I thrust into her as her silky walls wrap in my manhood. She gives in small moans and screams and clamps down on me, her flabby arms and thighs squeezing me harshly."

"She is the least attractive girl around 500 miles and I feel good."

"Seriously, what the hell am I doing here?"

Philosophizing did little to extend his sexual stamina; Theo's loins felt on fire and dissolving as his thrusts became faster and faster, and he gave a shout, slamming his hips against the girl's who was under him. He felt a warm rush of pleasure as he ejaculated inside the human girl who came with him to this discrete love hotel.

Melinda, stiffened legs clamping around his waist, screamed in ecstasy and scratched his back as he gave a final thrust that slid his manhood with a wet sound deep into her womb.

Boy and girl, on their bed, shuddered, screaming.

Otep the Anubis Detective now had a simple task before her, as her interviewed subject, Lucretia, shouted instructions to runners. Her paws held the coffee mug emitting wisps of steam.

How do you find a shapeshifting human in the capital without creating a crisis?

Otep's ancestors served Queen Hatshepsut since time immemorial. Otep's last mamono male ancestor was his grandfather Amen-ho-tep, a skilled Anubis surgeon and funeral expert and loved by the humans; until Maou, the leader of the Dark Mamono army before the battle of Megiddo press-ganged him into service.

He had forced him to forcibly mummify dead bodies, and captured humansfor war effort. Mummies had made good logistics servants and arrow blockers.

Amen-ho-tep had fled to the hills with his wife, Na-Barra until the long war had been concluded. Otep's mother, Omid was born there. Omid and her parents moved back to mamono Empire when a messenger told them peace was concluded.

Amen-ho-tep settled into a house with his family, his weary body giving up a week later. His handsome features, human, old but sharp with jackal like features, looked peacefully asleep on his deathbed. He had ordered his family to "Care for the humans, lest their wounds drive them mad." in his last breath.

His revered wife followed him a week later. That day, Otep's mother had bought a human who was kept by force by dark elf slavers. Offering the man to stay or leave after he scrounged up enough to pay her back his ransom, the man decided to stay.

Otep was born from this union, and things were happy for some time. Otep had remembered her father as a man who found it joy to play with her. She remembered him and mom as a happy couple who bought her toys and made her life a joyous garden of eden.

Until one day, Otep had returned from school, finding mother's eyes red from crying, and some guards taking away a body wrapped in linen. She remembered a mamono guard, a Hinezumi woman, a mouse-featured lady wearing police clothes, hugging her and telling her not to look.

That day Otep knew the meaning of loss. Her father was murdered in the middle of the night. That day she knew her heritage, a race dedicated to justice and preservation of the dead. She decided to study law and crime, and be a funeral official as well as a forensic detective.

She had caught many murderers and hate crimes in mamono empire, most belonging to the Black Brigade racists and fanatics. All were personally condemned to death, and she made sure they faced a harsh judge.

She knew from books his grandfather used indigo seeds in wine to preserve the dead and mark them for later rearrangement...Wait a minute. Marking.

"I knew it!" She squealed, startling her assistants and Lucretia.

"Excuse me, do you have indigo seeds and wine? I think we can catch him."

Theo and Melinda screamed loudly as each shuddered in a third orgasm, Theo nearly passing out from lack of stamina, snuggled with the naked human woman.

"Allfather, this was...amazing. I..." She gasped, looking at the bloody sheets. Theo kept breathing. "First time, huh?"

She nodded, gasping. Both snuggled, gasping for air and gulping cold wine as the sun rose.

"Um...do I...what if...I get pregnant?"

Theo had no good answer to that. He wanted to take her with him, but after what he'd do, every mamono would be baying for his blood. And he had no hope or intention to survive either.

"I'll ask Lucretia to buy you to live with me, I guess..." His promise was empty.

Melinda cooed and hugged him. He hid his tears in the pillow.

Of all the creatures to fuck in the capital, he chose the one that would ruin his conscience. He was, definitely and literally, a "fucking" idiot.

"So yeah, we grind indigo powder to wine and distribute it to human servants for some celebration/charity excuse." Otep explained. "Us Anubis have a ritual, "Measuring the Heart." It reveals blood mages and deep sinners glowing red."

"Good idea." Lucretia nodded, as human servants kept bringing casks of wine. "I'm going to have a word with the imposter." She fiddled with her whip.

"Ma'am, the suspect we are looking for is familiar to us...maybe you shouldn't." Otep replied, her fluffy tail wagging in anticipation. "Do you know of slave 4859?"

Lucretia's ebony features froze in terror.

"Not only he is a monstrously powerful blood mage, he seems to be capable of combat as well. And being infertile and less than potent, he won't be hypnotized. And remember that he killed the former Monster Lord himself and gorged on his blood in full view of both armies. We are hunting a crazed incubus mutant with the power of a God in his veins, with no restraint and thin sanity."

Nodding, Lucretia dispatched a centaur messenger. "Rally everyone. Including Black Brigade members. If they die, all the better, shame swept."

Otep had started grinding the kernels with human assistants.

Next morning, Theo and Melinda had emerged to the lobby after a few hours of snuggle, a mutual bath in which Melinda took pains to see and discover every inch of his body, chattering incessantly about the future plans. That hurt Theo as much as stab wounds, but he kept his steady face.

The Blue Oni regarded the human servant with a look of jealosy and grin when she saw both dressed up and ready to go.

"So, how was your night? Looks like the circles under your eyes disappeared sweetie." The nerd blue oni had commented seeing Melinda far happier and lighter looking. Theo laughed at her and tossed two coppers.

"Can we have tea?"

"I have a better idea. To celebrate, the current Maou donated wine to human...servants. Want one?" She had winked. Theo shrugged, as did Melinda.

"Hot, please." Both sat in fluffy chairs as the Oni woman brought two steaming cups.

"I...forgot to ask your name."Theo asked his blue-skinned, kind host girl, smiling.

"Hoshi."

"Theophilos." He'd use his name proudly before he finished his bloody work. "Shall we head to the storehouse after this?" The human girl nodded, still taking pains to stay close to him. "Sure."

Both lingered for a while as other customers, mostly mamono women and human men in tow, entered and exited. Most paid them no heed, except some times recognizing Melinda.

After a while they stood up, and started towards the storehouses where Theo would have his showdown with an old acquaintance.

Azaneal. His tormentor. She of thorns.

He did not want the idle hour at the inn to end, drinking in the happy, dark skinned human girl's features and considering running away with her. He could level a city if he had the blood and time. Why do this?

"You look upset, something wrong?" Melinda's face was considerate. All he could do was to shake his head.

It hurt to talk.

"Azaneal bint Yoav."

Otep flipped the pages of the Black Book, list of mamono Under Guard. Azaneal was one of the few surviving leaders of Black Brigade, the elite army of Dark mamono era when humans were meat and fodder of the empire. A Serpentine Manticore, a terrifying manticore woman with scales for armour on her limbs, she was a terror of the Empire. The only reason she lived was because of her sheer military prowess saving the survivors as human army pressed on to commit genocide against the mamono.

Gathering the survivors, she had lead the retreat and a stubborn one-woman defense until the human army disintegrated and dispersed, too tired to pursue. Thousands died under her claws that day.

She was also a perfect organizer and crafty assassin and spymaster, picking off human leaders and potential spies. Her amnesty was controversial, as Otep knew she was the main supplier of human slaves for the merging mamono empire with a very high casualty rate. but dark times and need for unity had whitewashed her crimes. Today she was a seemingly benevolent "servant allocator" and "spymaster."

Otep had a good idea where her prey would go.

She prepared a scroll full of hieroglyphs and a desk with indigo seeds, and visualised the likeness of Azaneal's office.

Her canine ears glowed with old magic as the Anubis detective took off her coat, handed it to a human servant and started chanting as her tail and ears stood up with electrical energy coursing her veins...

"Here we are...Theophilos. Which crate did your mistress want?"

"I think its behind the blue sack..do you see?" Theo pointed. As she proceeded to stare, he got out a small rag with a small vial.

"Where?"

"Forgive me." His eyes were teary, his voice shook.

"Wha-MMMMMMMPPPPPPPPPHHHHHHH?!"

Theo clamped down on Melinda's face a ether-coated rag, and hugged her tightly, blocking her flailing arms until she went limp in his embrace. Theo started to work quickly, stashing her behind a box and taking out a small lockpick.

Eavesdropping was his strength. And he knew some boxes here had weapons. Now it was a race against time to grab what he could.

His incantations gave a metallic glow in a sack. A suit of scalemail, a dagger and a very sharp sword. That was fair enough: He didnt even need to lockpick.

"Time to work."

Theo donned the suit of armor, weapons and knotted his hands, chanting until his legs became blurred. He dashed towards the "Lily's Office of Servants and Servitude." Azaneal's likely office, with an insignia of a servile human woman and man holding a reclining Manticore girl eating grapes held by the humans, who caressed their heads in return.

Otep 's glowing eyes noticed the pulsing indigo veins of human around the office as she used the indigo lines as vision points. Mostly servant humans moving equipment and serving drinks to mamono. Some were caged and tied in pens, to be sold like animals, violating several Slave Laws regulations. She made a note to make a sting raid to the office, knowing Azaneal was still a heartless bitch.

This skeleton would have to wait.

The office also had an arena where martial mamono were served beer and wine by humans, and watched each other take part in gladiatorial combat. She noticed Azaneal on a large chair surrounded by scared looking collared human women and eating grapes.

Shifting her vision, she saw a minotaur and human man go at it in a cupboard. Coughing nervously, she shifted her vision with a blush: who was she to disturb two passionate lovers, the minotaur on all fours as her strong lover plunged into her with every thrust, holding her down like an animal and breeding her? Otep already seeing the warm gush inside the girl, sure to impregnate. A Lamia cuddled with her human servants on a couch, watching the minotaur and lizardgirl duel it out, the human slaves upset and nervous.

"Poor things." She mumbled. A lot of heads would have to roll afterwards: she would not permit this.

The vision shuddered as an armored monstrosity, glowing blood red charged inside the scene. A blood mage bashing down wooden doors.

Otep was a hundred miles away.

"Shit. Miss Lucretia, can you prepare a teleportation spell? Enough for me and some assistants. And please inform every guard inside district L. Prepare wards and blood-blockers."

Theo chanted a fireball spell, launching himself towards the wooden door. The door splintered before him as he kept running. The servants and receptionist was far too shocked even to dodge the splinters as he kept on swinging his sword glowing with electricity, smashing any obstacle before him and screamed.

The guard who barely could rise to his feet, a human thug, was cleanly decapitated, his face in shock, his body kicked aside without a thought. He screamed at the top of his lungs, rousing everyone that didn't notice the incursion.

"AZANEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAL!"

Azaneal scratched her lionine ears with her thich paws, a habit she picked when calculating her proceeds unfit for a manticore girl. Human slaves, or "servants" as the consensus drifted towards a more degenerate and soft society, were not only in short supply but also problematic. Mamono quickly claimed men and sheltered them, and females often transformed or were seen as family and were cared for. Lescatie paid for war prisoners quickly, and only the weak, submissive or worthless humans who were captured ended up in slavery for good.

Change wasn't for her.

Azaneal remembered the times she'd glut the market with terrified, weeping women and men to be given like candies to everyone. Now they were just second class citizens with heavy investment. Still they were useful since mamono were undisciplined with work.

Now Shindalla was asking to quit the job too. That Inari Dark Shinobi was always trouble. She was the most vocal against sacrificing humans to Hell for power and fortune even though she made similar atrocities in ages past: what was worth moralising if they had done much worse earlier? Azaneal was still upset about lack of response from magical calls to the other Black Brigade members. They could not be dead, right?

The black-furred minotaur girl sporting a mohawk knocked out her opponent with a well-placed fist, and the Red Oni was out cold, rousing a cheer from spectators. Azaneal smiled. Another 100 gold coins' worth kickback from bets. She shouted to the arena, startling her human slaves.

"Any measly humans wanting to take on a mamono? Come on, I'll free the winner! Loser just gets to live with the victor if he she survi-"

A series of explosions and screams made everyone jump in their seats as a glowing figure barged inside the makeshift arena. An armored human had cleaved through the back rooms, and stood in the middle of the arena, much to the shock and awe of every spectator, and almost impaled the Minotaur girl. He wore a small armor and sword-and-dagger combination. His grim, dirt caked face looked at Azaneal's own with a glare of death. His arm shifted, recovering from a transformation spell...revealing a brand.

It showed "4859".

That was, for all intents and purposes, an interesting change of events.

"I'll take you then, Azaneal. A life for a life, fuck your bet."

The huge manticore woman squinted, slowly standing up. It wouldn't do to accept straightforward: appearances had to be kept.

"Who are you?"

Her voice was intimidating to all. His voice was lower. His response was punctuated, and spoke death.

"Slave 4859. Theophilos. The Blood Angel. The Boogeyman"

A rustling sound was all the spectators could make, retreating in fear.

"I'm the one who roasted your friends alive and gave Tomoko her own poison until she shit herself to death."

The last spectators screamed and ran away, trampling each other.

"Well... looks like this is getting intimate, dog." Azaneal chuckled maliciously.

"As intimate as it gets, murderer of my kin." Theo shot back. "You will not survive me."

She leapt, wings flexing, and landed on the arena with a loud slam. "You just couldn't accept loss and death, could you? So what, your daddy died slaving?" Her tail came up, revealing spikes and dripping venom.

Theo wanted to leap and strangle her to death, already showing veins on his forehead. He kept his resolve by a hair's thread.

"Ellas Islands. Raid. I was taken with my family." He drew his sword.

"Thomas, my father died in your iron mines." He twirled the silvery blade. She shrugged with a laugh.

"Maria, my mother died from grief." He drew his dagger as well. "Sister, Lila, was given away to some creepy mamono as a pet. Don't even know where she is. Every day she lost, every day humanity suffered, I swore to kill one of you." The sheer bloodthirst in his carefully chosen words started to worry Azaneal.

"I know you killed Julius, the king that defanged your little operation, and their children turned into monstergirls and unwilling seed slaves. You are the most disgusting thing I saw, Azaneal." Theo growled.

"Consider them "enlightened"." Azaneal chuckled, making a line of foam form around Theo's lips.

"The girl that liked me, Brikha was cut open on the altar. I had to kill the rest of the slave barracks to fuel the magic escape." His hateful eyes wept black blood now. "Julius' children I put them out of their misery." Theo was shaking with rage now.

The manticore laughed.

"And that makes you different how?"

He spat. "We didn't start the fire."

Azaneal sighed. "Very well. But here it ends. Seriously, killing you will be a relief. Imagine seeing them again. Besides we drugged sacrifices beforehand. See, I'm not that cruel." She stretched herself and raised her tail threateningly. "I mean who cares? Who cares about a bunch of people you'd never see... what kind of idiot cares for prey, I can't see the point..." She shrugged and laughed, just to make him madder.

And it worked. Rage could drive men to carelessness. Pity she had no measure of his cold, hateful madness.

"I will make you see, right after cutting your heart out." Theo lost it, shaking like a sick man, face gone pale with foam around his lips, eyes dripping bloody tears, he looked more of a freakshow than man.

" . .Hell." Was all he could mutter through chattering teeth now.

"And then?" She cocked her head. It was pleasant to goad the slave.

"I'll be joining you." He started glowing.

"And by what power will you do that?" She laughed in confidence.

"I drank Maou's corpse dry."

Azaneal faltered for one second. The human before her let out a horrifying scream and hurled himself at her with a speed the Manticore woman recoiled.

"Send everyone! A human attacked Azaneal!" The centaur carried the last human servant out of the offices as a guard came up to ask what's wrong.

"Blood Angel's here! Him and Azaneal!" A human slave collapsed from fatigue.

"Send everyone. Offer human servant mages freedom, luxuries and stipend if they help. I don't care how!" The guard ordered a runner.

Otep kept running, servants and guards carrying her spell components, some spilling over.

"Shitshitshitshitshitshit..." She nearly was out of breath, tongue out much like a jackal or a dog, ears sweaty and tail kept down.

Just when mamono and humans had some sort of equilibrium and peace, all was going to hell in a handbasket. Worse, he was relatively justified: Anubises had a weakness for justice, unable to obstruct it directly even if it would harm the collective.

Her deputy, a hellhound youngster was dashing on all fours. Finally they had reached the arena, a makeshift pit behind the slave offices. The ringing of sword and scales was deafening.

Her target, "the Blood Angel" was locked in mortal combat with a massive manticore hybrid.

"Ma'am stay back! He can utilize blood from wounds!" A centaur officer woman shoved her back. "We can't do anything!" The Anubis stood defiant, displaying a badge.

"I'm your commanding officer. Nock bows and wait. We will not interfere...for now." The centaur women, wary of the strange Anubis girl, hesitated, but took aim. Otep waddled carefully, taking cover behind the arena walls.

Theo gracefully somersaulted over the swung tail , launching a magical dart towards the monster woman. She didn't even flinch as the magic missile struck her chest, but roared, swinging both lion paws in a sweeping move to maim the upstart human. His sword and dagger blocked the paws, but could not draw blood.

"Shit." he grunted; though his pommel strike landing on her button nose stunned the manticore, it failed to draw blood again.

"I am three millenia old, human. You thought you could poke a hole in my hide?" The manticore chuckled and leapt back to avoid a lightning bolt.

"One slice, beast. THEN YOU DIE!" He roared and rained a series of small fireballs, which exploded and hurled her back towards the arena wall.

The manticore was shocked: no human could cast magic this fast without throwing him off balance. Attempting to anger him into madness she chuckled: "You are embarassing yourself. And your family!" Then she charged back at him, intending to rip out his throat with her fangs, jaws snapping milimeters away from his jugular. Theo twisted aside, landing a series of blows on her back, only to be blocked by her spiky tail snapping to block every swing.

"DIE HUMAN!"

"Try!" He screamed back. "The moment a drop of blood is drawn, I'll rip you a new one!"

"I'm a blood mage too, you know, human wretch." Azaneal laughed to his face. "So depends on who casts first." Still, she was worried: it was a decade since her last blood magic ritual. His frenzied eyes showed no sanity or restraint. If she would wound him, he would doubtlessly carry out his threat. And his stamina wasn't declining. If she would delay the fight, he would cut himself and destroy her anyway.

What to do?

"NOT SO PROUD NOW, ARE YOU?" He kept coming at her, swinging and stabbing with his sword even faster, mouth frothing with unrestrained hate. A kick on her shins made Azaneal stagger, only to receive another pummeling by the sword's hilt, and an elbow exploding on her jaw.

The Manticore was afraid.

His eyes started glowing red, whether from blood magic or some arcane rage, or Gods forbid, humans' rumored mental condition, aided by drugs, called Berserkrgang. And every second he became faster and faster, avoiding blows like a fish in a river and striking back as hard as he could. Azaneal felt a bone crack when a pummel blow landed on her nose again.

"FUCKING DIE!"

A drop of blood. Not enough.

Screaming in pain, she swung her tail and fists, painfully blocked by a swirling barrage of steel and magical fire. Screaming, Theo rained down another flurry of blows, not enough to draw blood but hurt like hell, even to Azaneal's dulled scales, who hurriedly was pushed on the defensive not to be cut for blood.

"I'll kill you, I'll kill Shindalla, I'LL KILL EVERY LAST ONE OF YOU!" He kept screaming louder and louder, with no restraint on his flesh.

Otep instructed the centaur women to aim but wait. She started chanting softly, trying to scan the memories of both fighters to find a solution.

The indigo lines in each warrior's veins pulsed with life, Theo's red-black soul glowing with rage, pain and hatred, pulsating with screaming faces in contrast to the azure-red-black, coldly arrogant soul of the ancient mamono. Both held signs of blood magic. Theo's own was more recent.

Time to scan Azaneal's soul.

Otep started paging through 3000 year of memories, often tales of cruelty. She poked the late memories, trying to find out if there were any traps in the office to block the maddened human. Sadly, Azaneal was proud, and used no hidden traps of cubbyholes.

She kept focusing to find a memory fragment, a past regret, or a recent order inside the monsterwoman's ancient, evil heart.

A desk with assassination orders. Memories of orders and speech.

"Today's list: Illyrian King Julius, bring the children alive for processing and transformation, kill the wife." Showed an order, written on a scroll.

Gritting her teeth, she ignored the blatant atrocity which could wait... and kept looking for visions:

Visions of a human playing with an anubis puppy.

Her father. Azaneal herself sneaking to stab him during the day when she was out for school, coldly letting him bleed out before flying away.

...

Otep's eyes snapped open. She nodded to a centaur woman, jackal ears and tail twitching.

"Fire on the manticore."

"Ma'am?"

"Do as I say."

Nodding, the centaur woman shouted something in Khitai. The centaur women shifted their aims, and let loose.

It all happened in a milisecond. A rain of composite-fired arrows cut deep inside the manticore woman's flesh. The human let out one big "HA!" and dove forward with sword and casting hand, and Azaneal's final expression of shock and horror was her last one as her insides opened, her heart exploding in a gory shower of blood and guts.

Her dead expression was one of shock as his hateful face dove on his exploded torso, teeth first, to drink her lifeblood to heal himself despite not being a vampire, or any other undead. Such was the disgusting art of blood magic. Otep felt a wave of revulsion seeing the horrid spectacle, and shuddering, barked orders before she threw up at the vile sight.

"Reload! Water arrows! Pelt the human!" Otep shouted before starting to chant again, to block the human from casting blood magic.

"Capture him alive."

The Jackal-girl, her ears and tail pointed up, screamed.

"You are under arrest for murder! Give up and you will be treated fairly!"

Exiled.

"Seriously, what the hell I am doing here?"

Thought Theo again as he hoisted his belongings in a big rucksack, trundling towards the Dead Wastes where he was exiled for life, or "Until his blood shed itself", as the Anubis High Judge declared as she cursed him with a geas. "May you never set foot in lands of mamono or men upon pain of death, until your blood redeems itself, the world tears or the sun stops."

He was given some hours to gather his belongings, and escorted out of Mamono capital quietly. Followed by a throng of fascinated onlookers, human servants in various servile garments, and mamono who looked absolutely intrigued.

Mamono faces, serpentine, bovine and mixed, gazed at him with a morbid greatest boogeyman was found and exiled. What would happen now?

"I drank a god dry, and took my revenge. Now I am a bum about to die a bleached corpse on a dry hill...

Beats bowing to them."

He kept carrying his humongous load, ignoring the stares from the passing mamono women and families as he passed the city gates, and kept walking. He flipped off the Minotaur girl who catcalled him, turned towards the mamono empire and raised both hands, middle fingers extended, before resuming his exile.

A small Lamia child cradled in his father's arms returned the middle finger gesture innocently, earning a nudge from her mother. "Don't do that!"

It was almost over.

The ancient Manticore woman, Azaneal, had been blasted open in a gory shower when he sensed her blood pour out of her body. His heightened reflexes let him utter the blasphemous words and physically twist her blood before she could even react. What confused him was the arrow storm.

Who had done it?

Turning towards his mysterious aid after gorging himself on the ancient blood that spurted out of the blaster arteries in dying gushes, he only stared down another shower or arrows, this time slivers of magic water splashing him and freezing his senses. Damnit.

A half-circle of centaur women had blasted him with paralytic water arrows which also stopped any attempts of blood magic. It was like his body was wrapped in cold jelly. Looking through the haze and pain, he looked down the sword of a determined mamono woman, an Anubis from its looks, ears and tail. her sword was custom to accompany thick paws.

"Give up, Theophilos the Blood Angel. It's over. If you come along willingly, I promise you a fair trial."

Theo regarded her silently. She was an adorable Anubis girl with a horde of centaur women eager to shoot him to pieces. His throat started giving a feral growl.

"I will not be a slave again."

Anubis' face softened, her jackal ears twitched, remembering his file. "You will not. I promise. If I can help one day, not a soul will..."

He was like a wounded animal, tears, saliva and madness ruining what could have been a pretty face, now covered with blood entirely. A few understanding words would not harm.

"I know what happened to you. I can't promise a happy outcome to your rampage; you just committed blood magic and murder in plain sight."

"Aided by YOU. "Theo growled, his blood-encrusted face revealing menacingly sharp and gleaming white teeth. The Anubis' glare did not reduce his smile. She replied with a haughty and confident voice:

"Look, I am the only one that can help you now. You saw what I did.'

"Sure. You ordered them gals to shoot Azaneal so I could boil her blood."

The Anubis nodded. "I have good reasons for this. A lot. But if you don't come along willingly, neither of us are getting out alive. So..."

"So?" Theo raised his eyebrows.

The Anubis lowered her weapons and tome. Slowly approaching, she leant and whispered something in his ears. Theo squinted in disbelief.

"I need you to drop your weapons and come with me. And put these on." She held out soft, glowing cuffs. Magic blockers by the look of them...runed leather with copper studs.

"No." He stretched himself despite the pain, his expression changing when she whispered something to him.

"If you ever lied to me..."

"It's the truth." She smiled, pleading. "Möngke- sama?" She whispered to the tallest centauride. "Can you clean his face? He is a horror show right now."

Sighing, Theo slipped them on as a flask of water was pressed on his face to wash (most of the) blood. The texture was soft and tingly, and soon he felt his connection to the dreams and hopes in his mind dampened. As the centaurs flanked him to be escorted to jail, Theo wondered if all dreams and emotions were the sum of spiritual and magical phenomena. Walking back towards the exit where already a crowd was bubbling, he tried to shy such thoughts away.

The news spread like wildfire, even stopping monstergirls having sex with their men and stumble, fly, run and slither towards the marketplace.

"Holy shit. They got him!" A small school of harpies flew right across the street to reach the courthouse.

"Boogeyman is caught? How many died?" A Dullahan's head on a hairdresser's table inquired, her body running to and fro aimlessly watch the spectacle.

"I heard he took down every Black Brigade leader!" A centaur snatched the head and the body hurriedly, plopped them on her back and galloped on. "With one spell!"

Soon hundreds of mamono from all races started congregating around the courthouse, in a squealing mass of wings, girlish voices, shouts and appendages. The noise reached a crescendo as guards tried to keep the crowd away.

The process was a long and boring comparison of evidence, witnesses and judges' hearing, Otep was eventually put on administrative leave with pay, as her open order to kill a mamono, even though the mamono was a dark war criminal and a millenium long slaver and killer, had left a bad taste in people"s mouths.

"Theophilos. We have come to a conclusion."

The Judge was an old dragon, a human woman with dull and cracked scales. Theo didn't respond, his soulless face gazing at the old lady's gray, silvery eyes.

"The sheer amount of violence inflicted by your hand cannot be ignored, no matter how justified they sound to the layman. We have laws."

The kitsune taking notes nodded. "The case of unlawful assassination of the Illyrian King Julius and the...atrocity on his family died with Azaneal. But if it helps, have my commendations." She shrugged. "But it cannot be a reason for leniency, even though we cannot convict you over the killing of a Black Brigade member. Yet you also murdered a human guard, Ralf."

Theo thought to himself. "The door guard at the slave pit?" When the judge nodded, he simply sneered. "Guards slaves, keeps his own kin like animals. I have no regrets, period."

"Then you admit guilt."

"Say as you like, your...Honor..." He sneered, shaking his head. "I killed him. That's it."

That roused a wave of murmur and arguments, punctuated with gavel beats.

"You also misused the mamono' trust in a human, something not done ever since the battle of Megiddo was finished. This will have grave consequences. Very grave. Posing as a slave of a prominent family, and injuring a female servant of a guard." Before Theo could protest, she silenced him."It's irrelevant you do not agree with our slavery."

"Hurting a defenseless person, free or slave, male or female, after misusing its trust, no matter who you are, what your social status is is punishable by a painful death by our laws."

The Shirohebi woman and the ancient dragon female nodded slowly in confirmation.

"And a way to attract exiled, hurt and discarded humans to mamono lands." Theo thought, still in chains.

"However, Melinda wanted to show mercy, and requested that you don't get tried for these. She also never wishes to talk to you again. Her owner freed and ransomed her back to Lescatie after she was severely depressed by what you did and begged to never see here again. You cost us a servant and perhaps a future companion and a new mamono."

The Anubis Judge glared at him.

"You..."

"Rustled a lot of jimmies?" Theo chuckled, and groaned as a rush of pain silenced him, unleashed by a spell-trap laid inside the chains.

"SILENCE."

The Anubis woman opened a large, ancient book bound in leather. Putting on glasses, she started to read a passage, which caused Theo's chest to glow. Her puzzled expression was priceless when the boy's chest glowed azure.

"You have not an ounce of burden on your conscience."

Theo shook his head. "Nope."

"That is clear proof that you are not sane-"

"NO."

His voice sounded, for one second, like fingernails on a chalkboard. The entire audience gasped as order nearly shattered in the court. His eyes were narrow, and his expression shot a furious look.

"Cut it out. I am not insane, or "socio-pathic" as you folks call it. I haven't killed anyone without reason. I had a cause… A reason… Damn your "amnesty" and "not opening old wounds." I'm not going to my daily life like a sheep as these monsters run around. I wasn't going to sit by and watch after all that happened to me. My sister is still somewhere, perhaps dead!"

The court was silent, quietly assessing his words. His lungs aching, he kept venting his pent up anger:

"Some of you see me as what you call is a psychopath, or sociopath, or whatever you booklovers whip up. Well boo hoo, you aren't whitewashing slavery or the fact that were I not existing, humans under your thumb would be far, far fucking worse off. I am the dark little worry in your head that keeps you from abusing humans you carted away. I know its useless to posture supremacy since you need us. So I cleaned off the worst of the litter. Who among you not older than two hundred was not born of a human? Huh?"

He flexed himself despite the chains, creaking the floorboards.

"Slave Laws are MY doing." Theo smiled mirthlessly, bracing himself to drop the bomb even at the judges stood dismissive:

"Who staked a vampire to your empress' clockwork tower and sewed the key to the royal bedroom inside her mouth?"

The entire crowd broke in murmurs. Before Otep could interrupt, he went on:

"I carved a Himmelskreuz on her chest. There. Proof. You saw it only before the sunlight melted the skin. Once you see Azaneal's "labor offices", you'll see dozens of mistreated human prisoners against your own fucking laws."

For several minutes, no one spoke. A feather could be heard if it fell, for a long, long time...

Across the courthouse, hung on the wall was a large scroll.

"SLAVE LAWS"

The Mamono Reik started to crumble when generations of ill-managed humans grew old and died, and the ill-treatment caused some to rebel at the cost of their lives.

However, the process to enfranchise humans had already started were it not for the genocidal rage of Maou. Agrat Bat Mahlat, Maou's succubus wife, had openly arranged his soul to be weakened to murder him and feminize the entire monster race of the planet.

The laws were put in effect after Theo had killed a vampire sorceress. The scroll read to any keen observer:

Empress Agrat Bat Mahlat, and all her successors shall swear by their souls to uphold the values:

UNDERSTANDING that human and monster are seperate species,

REASSURING that all humans have a right to live and procreate,

REMINDING that monsterkin also have a right to procreate and survive,

ADMITTING only human seed, therefore human males are sorely needed,

ACKNOWLEDGING the atrocities of the past, the Reik regulates the chattel status of human slaves.

1-Slaves shall not be mistreated. Any owner who cannot afford to maintain a human slave has no right to keep one. Brothels and military service guarantees essence.

2-Any undocumented human found under Reik territory may be claimed and traded as a slave, with care to his/her life and health: If the Monster can't fight, buy, persuade or seduce, monster has no say.

3-Human families will not be seperated without express consent and witness of consent of two non-related mamono or ten human slaves. Any human above eighteen springs may express intent to be sent/sold away to other areas of the Reik or traded to the human political entity of Lescatie.

4-Any human-led political entity may petition to buy back citizens with sufficent proof of association.

5-Human slaves, or "serfs" may earn their freedom from commerce and labor earned in free time, mandatory one in seventh minimum per week.

6-Mamono owner may free a human after one year of ownership.

7-Marriage immediately frees human wife/husband (same sex marriages between female monster and human female encouraged with a subsidized human stud ownership)

8-A slave's liberty price has a set ceiling by the bailiff.

9-Slaves are to be encouraged to reproduce, sexually please mamono citizens and each other, and must be cared for medically.

*the text went on and on praising maternity and paternity, subsidizing childbirth and respect for human life as much as their station allows*

Every time Theo saw it, he felt just a bit better, like cool water on parched lips after a day in a desert. His madness and uncontrolled anger at least bore one fruit, as compromising as it looked. In a world that no one cared beyond his next meal until some unhinged lunatic with a horrifying arsenal shook it apart.

Otherwise his life felt like a horrible shipwreck. His burning grey-blue eyes took a new shine, making every monstergirl instinctively flinch.

"I have usurped your old god's blood in my veins, and will not stop until Shindalla is dead as well. So get on with your sentencing. You just might loosen my last marbles..." Growling, his skin started crackling with power despite the wards, provoking uneasy looks from the guards.

"Please refrain from contempt in court." The Shirohebi warned him.

"I won't respect any court of a land holding my sister a slave... I will...fucking. Murder. Every. Last. One..." Theo growled back, as crackles of magic energy put the whole crowd on alert, sniper monstergirls with crossbows eager to pull trigger before he could bite his tongue and use blood to murder everyone next to him...

...it was Otep's moment. She perked up, lifted a hand to ask for permission to speak, and turned to Theo. Swallowing twice to keep her excitement down, she started with a shaky voice:

"My mother had adopted one of the survivors of the slave pens of Megiddo. One day she simply brought her in, saying that "I have a new sister". She was a traumatized human.'"

Seeing anger and interest in his eyes, Otep went on.

"Mom spent all of our effort on her. Eventually we made her smile again. She would never speak much, but she was happy. for more than a decade and even expressed that she was happy."

Theo glared at the Anubis as if he could disintegrate her.

"She passed away peacefully, despite our best efforts,obviously from trauma and lung poisoning from the mines; she had refused any attempt at mamono transformation when all failed, from our expert mummification to spells. Still she gave me this necklace and her wish that you were happy and I help you out of your predicament."

"Liar." Theo's eyes glowed crimson in barely suppressed blood magic flaring back to life. "Trying to borrow time, you jackal-eared little fuc-"

Her thick paws produced a small silver necklace from her coat's folds. Theo blinked.

"Proof that she was your sister. She had a rose-shaped birthmark on her cheek, and the number 4860 on her arm."

Theo was frozen, lips trembling.

"Liar..." He stammered.

"I...we took care of her Theo. As people like me, no matter how few, try to heal the past." Otep smiled.

His eyes froze, and lost their shine, filling with tears.

Otep attempted a smile, exhaled in a similar passion as eyes teared up as well, her jackal ears perked up, her tail softly swishing. "We care."

"We care, no matter what. And there's more of us every day, like the dawn that comes or the dark stain of past washes away." Her cute, slightly canine face showed genuine empathy.

They say her words prevented the entire courtroom to go up in smoke.

All that was left to do now was to watch the monster of a man who could flatten a city start hyperventilating and slump on the chair, dumbfounded. The mamono crowd rushed to see him sob and weep for the first time tears pouring like a torrent. The Shirohebi judge's face softened, and the three judges looked at each other and nodded.

"Escort the human to a comfortable infirmary bed. This session is adjourned."

The Minotaur guards helped him stand up. He had to be carried as he passed out.

When he returned the next day, he hadn't eaten a morsel, and felt deflated.

"You recovered. Very well. We offer you three choices." The Shirohebi was grim.

"First one is death. The Salamander is quick with her sword, and painless. However, as much as everyone here believes you would, or should meet your family again... we'd rather have you not choosing this. Certainly there is a reason to enjoy life for you still?" The Shirohebi cast a glance at Otep who shrugged.

"Your sister lived well enough with my mother and was like a second sister to me...surely you consider your mission done and want to live?...It's what she would have wanted, mind you." Otep added.

"The second one is lifelong house arrest. You will be assigned to the highest bidder as a lifelong mate and live-in but heavily monitored husband. You will replenish what you took with manual labor and progeny if you can still sire mamono children. I am told there are many prestigious mamono that would bid on you for sheer curiosity. It would be a pleasant, famous retirement. Martial power is a heavy aphrodisiac for many mamono." The Salamanders nodded quickly. Some of the wealthier ones gazed at him with open lust and waved.

"You deserve such a retirement." The dragon woman commented. "I am not fond of your actions, but I supported this option. A man of your might and conscience would be a valuable...addition to us and still enjoy life."

Theo shook his head. "I'd rather cut my throat than submit to a monstergirl."

"The third one is exile. Lescatie wants your head. So do many mamono. You will be exiled to the Wastes and bound with a ward and geas, cursed never to return until the world breaks, as our Scriptures say. If you can pass the wards again, your crime will be considered redeemed. Though I doubt you will be welcome." The Judge warned ominously.

"You want to be free? Be free. There, over the hills, at the edge of the world into the oceans." The Shirohebi Judge added.

...

"I'll be leaving then. Exile."

"Hmm...maybe you should reconsi-"

"Exile."

"Why?" The Anubis Judge finally broke her stoic air. "Just why? Why do you spurn to be happy for once and LIVE? JUST GO ON WITH YOUR LIFE AND LIVE!"

Theo pointed at the ancient Naga pup, eyes full of tears and hatred, gazing at the killer of her mother. "I don't want the circle to be repeated. You didn't even ask her own judgement. ACTUALLY... She should be the one deciding my fate." Rattling his chains, he gingerly approached the naga girl whose mother he had killed. Meeting her hateful eyes, he bowed.

"Decide whether I should live or die. Either way, finish the grudge here. I know its pain turning me insane."

The tearful naga child glared murder at him. Theo knew that look. It was his own look a decade ago, when his jailors had carried away his father' corpse. His heart wrenched: he had propagated the cycle at the cost of his own mental relief, he felt tears form in HIS eyes.

Yet in his heart he felt justification as well. Gulping, he opened his mouth:

"Consider that your mother killed-"

"I know." The naga child interrupted, before eventually breaking down into sobs. Weeping and wailing, she lashed out, slapping him on the face. "Get out of here!" She kept wailing and sobbing. "And never come back!"

Theo simply pointed at her, then to the judge, and bowed and left after the guards unlocked the cuffs.

"That's how it should be."

Exiled to the ass-end of the world, the man who, from a slave, to a killer, to a madman, to a convict, stood on a great hill overlooking the World's End ocean.

And he had slept soundly last night, next to a campfire on the top of the hill, dug into a depression and covered with a makeshift tent from blankets and some planks.

He kept humming a song he could barely remember from his childhood. It was the melody before the fire arrows rained on the town. Still groggy, he blinked incredulously at the heap of supplies and letters which seemed to appear overnight.

"Us lads from military husbands' scrounged up some sack of potatoes, salt and a pot" Was the scrawled letter containing a crude caricature of a black brigade sigil penetrated by a phallus, nailed to crates of tuber-plants.

"Now I can look at my human servants' face without shame and they will not fear me." A bundle of cookies, enchanted by Yuki-Onna craftswomen. "P.S : My human maid will name her first son after you."

"You have earned your revenge and brought us justice. Respect xox- Salamander Igna" Was scrawled to a generous heap of dried fruit, a hammer, iron nails and meat."Why hammer and nails?" thought Theo as he started arranging the presents.

"Rest, and meditate." was written on a large bundle of incense. "And I pray you will find your peace. It was a shame Tomoko died." Theo crumpled the letter. "Maybe..." He mused.

"I wept when I read what happened to your family. May you see them all one day again." Was written on a large sackof lettuce,rosemary and mint. "Fresh from my garden. - Lilium the Alraune Apothecary"

"My husband is a smith as good as me. He gifted this to you." Read a letter which seemed to be written by someone without depth perception, probably a cyclops. The letter was tied to a crossbow.

The best gift was a small bracelet. Silver, set with gleaming jewels, It had an inscription. "No woman or beast keeps you" The letter attached to it read:

"You have a drive for freedom. And in the end you gave it all up, to be free yet again. This is your well-deserved item. May no woman hold you unless you desire, Sword of the Allfather. - Clergy of True Lescatie"

Theo kept arranging the gifts and tools all day. "Now to live on my own, by handouts, pity, and tough game if I'm lucky." He started to assemble a small hut and rabbit trap, chuckling to himself having not lost the irony of his lack of freedom. He'd die maybe, but free and of his own reaction and its consequences. The final, irredeemable prize of any man and woman, any being that wanted dignity in life.

We think his story ended. We are wrong.

***Price of Freedom, Act 2***

Memoirs of Slade, Imperial Alchemist, Emissary of Lescatie, retired Emissary and Elected Governor of Temirburg.

"How the grim darkness of evil made way to bright gray mists of time. How a sore loser nearly killed the whole world."

The emerged island North of Temirburg attracts tourists. Visitors. Pilgrims. But no settlers. It is an island of endless red roses and flowers; yet no one takes a single flower: that would be paramount of blasphemy. There is no cruelty around it: no one dares raise a hand to another near it. Predatory animals avoid it. Ushi-Oni will gently wander with you arm-in-arm around it.

A Dark Elf and Light Elf will gently play chess and compliment on each other's racial abilities on the island. (That won't prevent the dark elf to cordially invite the light one to a friendly match of sensual wrestling, or try kissing the light one during farewells.)

Not a human is attacked on it, and Anubises collect bones and remains around its shores and enshrine them in a pyramid built from polished sandstone. Mummy girls, embalmed to escape death in ages past can touch the hallowed ruby-blood and live as a sunburnt, average,naive human girl, again, for a lifetime.

The Island is named the World Seal...

It has rivers streaming from its depths; flowing to gods know where. Its rivers have flecks of red floating across it: rubies. Its sacred waters give tiny rubies. The stones, when held, give a wave of serenity to one's soul, so much that the wielder will actively feel sick, and confess the evil lurking in his/her heart.

Its fauna do not need to eat, carnivores don't predate, herbivores don't graze. Hunger does not come easily on the island. Thirst is quenched easily. But any structure further than its shores are gently shoved away as if led by an invisible hand.

I saw the island form from the blood of ten thousand sacrifices, their names eternally written on the stones at its hallowed shores. But these are not horrible deaths: each sacrifice was joyfully willing, and their leader being a controversial figure, who came and went from this world in chaos. The dead are eternally enshrined inside the island, may their souls dance across the cosmos happily, if something like this is possible.

At its heart, a mountain of ruby exists. Its bones yield rubies that weep blood which makes men sad and monster waste away, unless the river gives the stones itself by nature.

What's the ruby about, you say? It's the blood of Theophilos. His friends, comrades, and the blood of the Monster Lord Maou, frozen into a giant ruby that buried an atrocity against existence, which came by coincidence, some say: there are darker rumors.

The island formed a seal when the Monster Lord's spirit, tortured by defeat and maddened by Theo as Maou's jailor in his veins, called forth a portal across the void. The portal spewed fantastic species similar to mamono, yet like older times, of both genders, and primarily cannibalistic and slaving, ruining mamono and human towns alike, around the hill which it was situated on.

Strange, elf-like humanoids led by vilest creatures which cared not for the monstergirl's wave of love pheromones, enslaved entire towns and set out to ravage the peace fought so hard to achieve. They called themselves Drow, and set out to devour the world.

When the world was collapsing, the Boogeyman, Theo, appeared, again, seemingly containing Maou's blood in himself like a jailor, but determined to help.

And he dragged everyone north to face the invasion, leaving his hermit dwelling. People followed him to death, having learned the ritual would require ten thousand souls to seal the world in safety.

The fact that we live free is the proof they won.

What happened is a list of hearsays, magically extracted fragments of memories, interviews and second hand accounts. There may be more.

He slept.

A decade long, he was an outcast. Man and monster loved, made love, hated, fought and he slept: sometimes weeks on an end.

Nibbling on weeds, roots and meager game, his satisfied bloodthirst had kept him sate and calm. And a few monstergirls visiting his home every Father's Day provided him company, not always on a sexual basis.

He was exiled to a hill, alone, and hungry. His anger ebbed slowly, replaced by a calm contentment. Who knows what would happen if he wasn't isolated?

He slept, dry and slimmer than before. He didn't notice the black veins slowly expanding across his back. The power he had drunk had dark consequences.

He was too small to realize what dark elves did to little boys.

Theo was back in Ellas Islands, under the sound of music and laughter, smelling olive oil, goat cheese and fish, his family's staple food.

He was small, happy and curious. Life was easy. Life was fun. And when he had wandered to the interior of the island, the friendly dark lady was fun to be around, like a second mother, perhaps more... She was interesting, very friendly, and charming, to the point Theo forgot his mother's advice.

"Hehe...Bad things happen to boys wandering in the woods." Two ebon hands snatched him and tickled his belly while one hand held down his mouth to prevent him from laughing.

"I got you 3"

He giggled as his secret friend and him pretended to be taken prisoner. The boy giggled as her pretend captor softly tied his hands behind his back and softly opened his jaw with her fingers and made him bite down on a scarf.

"Didn't you know bad monstergirls can snatch boys wandering away? Hmm?"

Theo giggled as hands tickled his armpits.

"This little moth is too curious." Her face was in front of him, a mask of mischevious lust adorning a set of thin lips and a dark elf's lovely features. "It could burn, you know."

"Does it hurt when moth burns?" Theo replied innocently.

"No...this fire feels good to the good little moths." The mature dark elven woman kissed him on the cheek, and sensually, on the neck.

"How so?"

"Ssshhh... You are my prisoner now." She hoisted him over her shoulders and carried him, quietly, to a camp fire. Theo felt queasy being poked and pushed by a strange, but friendly woman with weird skin and ears. She tickled his belly softly and cradled his face tenderly with her one hand.

"You won't be bad, will you?" He shook his head, smiling under the gag.

"Good. There will be good treats for good boys. And good boys make the best good hubbies for my daughters. You won'tmake my daughter sad, will you?" She smiled wickedly, pointing to her whip. Theo shook his head shyly.

Smiling, she set up some food and some hot mead on the campfire. Waiting for it to cook, she removed his gag and handfed him some beef hash, and gave some juice. He nibbled the shared food without complaints.

"We've been playing some time, little moth. You sure can answer me a few questions, can you?"

He nodded innocently.

"How many strong, handsome men are there in that village of yours?"

"Why?" He asked without a shred of worry or awareness.

For one second, the dark elf woman thought of doing worse things to make the child talk. Being an officer of Black Brigade, she very well could, and had murdered children. Still, she felt a dull pang of conscience seeing the child ask innocently.

"So that we can visit your village and give big, strong men lot of love. But this will be our little secret, OK?" He smiled and nodded, and told her.

"If you tell me where they sleep or stay at night, I can give you another BIG reward." She nuzzled him. "I will bring my daughter to play with you."

"Wow!" He chimed happily. "Really? No girl plays with me!"

The dark elf woman grinned from ear to ear. "They are missing the world, stupid human girls. Look, show me next time we meet, and I'll bring my daughter to teach you very, very joyful games... promise?"

"Promise ma'am!" He smiled, struggling innocently. As if remembering something, the dark elf woman untied him, and raised his hand to her lips.

"Smooch." She touched his kissed finger to his own lips. "Now run along. Next time, my daughter, your new owner will be here, little pet."

He ran full of joy and queer feelings, being owned by a monstergirl like a pet. This lady was nice. And she was really cool, so it was probably fun!

He found them dead when he crossed a river leading home.

An Anubis child, her mother and human father was there too.

He tossed and turned, sickened by the images flooding his mind. Rows of weeping hearts, gouged eyes and the world covered by a thin layer of blood from weeping eyes…visions of children of all species going to slaughterhouses and work camps of hell made his heart clench.

"YOU CAN'T ESCAPE"

The image of the anubis loli puppy, her mother, and her human father flared in black-blooded veins.

"I WILL RECLAIM WHAT IS MINE. "

He woke screaming from another night terror. Ever since his exile, the dreams increased in lucidity and severity. He turned and hurled the contents of his stomach to the fire, spewing a rancid smell into the night air.

"What the hell am I doing here…"

He stared, helpless, into the heavens. "Why me?"

"Why? Why was I not permitted to kill monsters who ruined everything? Is it not just? Is it not just to feel disgust of slavery and rip the ones that started it to shreds? Is it not natural to see a slave market, and feel indignation at even the most insignficant humanoid kept there?"

Mumbling, he ate a small apple and gulped down water.

"Why, why was I pushed away from vengeance, only to be violently punished at avenging misfortune…?" He rambled to himself. "Why does it hurt so much to lash out at something I was born not accustomed to?"

He sighed, weeping, tried to get some sleep before morning sun. He would notice the growing black-blooded veins on his back weeks later...

Inside the underbrush, a perfectly quiet horse waited. That horse had a human half, observing the growling and munching sounds. The human half, an ice cold killer blonde woman, slowly drew her composite bow.

Grognak and Brog were two mountain orcs that were called across the void. Both had eaten well. Both were huge creatures of malice and savagery.

And they liked this new world very much.

This world was rich. The cow-women, although begging and fearful, made great food when knocked over, and cut up into a stew. The human women made soft flesh, and they were less rebellious, but still terrified when led to the kitchen. The dark ones promised a lot of slaves to eat and make food for them. Life was good, like drinking beer, if beer could be the fear of soft "humies".

What wasn't good was that somehow Grognak felt a sting in his head, and his left side was a bit numb. Brog pointed at his head but, a few moments later it didn't matter anymore.

Fingers inside the bushes relaxed. A loud thrum and a wet stabbing sound made sure Brog was sent to death as well. Their assailant, an eastern-looking centauride woman, slowly trotted out of the bushes. Her uniform was a camouflaged leather barding with the name "Eszter".

Eszter spat at the two orkoid monstrosities, sauntering out of the woods. She was followed by an equally exotic looking pair of centaur women. Their faces showed strange similarities.

Daughters of Arpad, a centaur clan was leading a strange guerilla war for years. Entire mamono and human farmer families were disappearing, and the centaur clans decided to patrol north of Temirburg for the strange sightings.

They knew mamono and man lived here peacefully for centuries, weathering even Megiddo and Red King's madness. Every human Knyaz and mamono Duke was quite amiable to each other with informal "husband allocations".

More magnificent Centaur women slowly stepped out of the woods, releasing longbow strings. Each sound ended with a scream and a thud, the brush yielding dead male dark elves which revealed they were "drow" and orcs.

Eszter's horrified almond eyes confirmed what was in the pot the two orcs were cooking. Sobbing in shock, she stomped the stunned mountain orc to a painful death under her strong legs.

"Move out. Kill every monster that moves."

A centauride woman, with tearful eyes, pointed to the pots, limbs and Holstaurus heads, dead faces with horrified, teary eyed looks.

Eszter looked tearfully away. "Scratch that. Shoot them in the legs and bring them to them. Then burn any invader, ALIVE. Starting with this darkling little shit." She pointed at a wounded male , who promptly started babbling in his strange language as he was being dragged towards the firepit by two centaur women.

Beggings turned to screams as two mamono women hoisted the drow male and flopping him into the fire like a bag. The centaurwomen rode away with a grim expression as the invader screamed and flailed, legs nailed to the campfire woods with arrows, with others begging and screaming; humanoids joining him in the revenge holocaust. Eszter turned towards a centaur woman who was older, and could carry more supplies.

"Magda. Ride to every Ugaric village, take this purse. Give bribe, beg, threaten, buy out everything you can, tell everyone to migrate south NOW, under guard. Find the exiled man. He has to know something."

It was another painful hit-and-run.

Theo vomited again.

Nightmares of bleeding eyes, sores and burst eyeballs had woken him up. And he woke up on an endless beach. His family were held down by grinning mamono, hands already tied. His mother's eyeless body looked up and whispered. "Run."

He started running away, only to stumble on the raped and mutilated corpse of the innocent dark elf girl he had met.

"Teo...why...I...didn't...hate...anyone...sorry...wasn't me...I didn't hurt..." The corpse gurgled as her mouth grew, gre-

The girl appeared behind him, her bloody hands caressing his cheek.

"Play with me Theo."

She had fanged mouths for eyes.

This time, his screams would have echoed across the valley, were it not for the strange finale.

The nightmare ended.

Before the nightmarish apparition touched him again, a mature, different monster-woman suddenly appeared between them, making the nightmare scene dissolve in a cloud of white dust. His heartbeats, wild even in the middle of his sleep, calmed down as the smiling monster-woman approached him kindly.

"Sorry you had to see this..." She gently bent, kissing his forehead.

Gasping in terror, he jumped, again. This time he wasn't sweaty

"You feel it too…don't you?"

"GET OFF ME! GET OFF!" He flailed wildly.

The voice belonged to the benevolent face of a calm mamono woman wearing an academic robe of a Zhong Mandarin, sporting a tail, furry legs and horned head. She was horned, and her forehead was glowing with a rune.

"How the fuck did you get here!" He lost all etiquette and snapped, covering his shameful situation with a blaket and glaring at the monster-woman.

"Poor lao wai Teo-Pi-Lao…" She smiled mercifully at him. "I was looking for you." She smiled understandingly, seeing he had soiled himself, vomited and was covered with sweat. "I will wait until you take a bath. I took the liberty of heating your gifted tin tub."

Theo didn't need to wait, tossing his clothes aside and disappearing inside the tub. Half an hour later, he came squeaky clean, completely ignoring modesty as he put his clothes back on.

"Thanks for not fleeing at my horrid sight." He mumbled, trying to get the belt correctly. The Hakutaku just shrugged, her mission was something far deeper to be revulsed by some bodily fluids, especially for a mamono.

"I didn't know you were…" Her tender hands softly caressed his forehead when the young man returned from his bath, smelling like mint and lemon. Her fluffy tail softly rubbed his temples as her bovine legs were nestled under his back, only to make him flinch and pull away.

"You must have suffered greatly. I read your entire past."

Theo blinked, listening without interest in her words, but in her appearance. "Mingzhi? You look more mature..."

"No, Bai Ze... Actually I'm her superior in academic rank. You know her?" The Hakutaku blinked in surprise at his words. It was Theo's turn to apologize, albeit briefly.

"I came to talk to you." The Hakutaku combed her hair with a small, ivory comb as she sat next to him, and looking into his eyes with a serious stare. "Have you noticed your visits getting shorter and less civil?"

"What, they don't like me anymore?" His sarcastic reply made the bovine monstergirl laugh in a bitter chuckle.

She kept a serious face afterwards. "You heard of a new enemy. From the north, male monsters."

"No, I haven't. Some of the mamono visitors told me of some war going on, but I have stopped fighting, Bai Ze. I'm done." He shrugged. "I killed most slavers, and what Lescatie and Reik does is not my business. My family is dead. All that remains is a dead man one a dry hill."

He was thinner, more morose, handsome but broken. Bai Ze sighed. A Hakutaku's work was knowledge, and love. This man had the former, and had shed the latter.

"It's a wound against existence. But then...you did your part too." Seeing the young man blink in confusion, she motioned him to turn around. She held a small magical mirror to his eyes, showing black veins across his flesh.

"What the hell..." He recoiled.

"Want me to say it out?"

Theo nodded.

"You will die. This is the Mamono God-King's essence eating you. And blood magic, of course. I'm sorry." Her features showed genuine sorrow.

Sadly it did not have the desired effect.

"I am dead, woman. The fuck I care?" Angrily retorting, he stood up to heat a bowl of vegetable soup, ranting angrily. "I lost everyone I cared for, and I was made a slave, I saw EVERYONE I cared for die, so what should I do?" It broke the understanding, confident smile of the Hakutaku. "Ha! You are surprised, aren't you?"

His grim, mirthless face told as much. "You come from en empire where I was exiled from…right next to a slave market for humans I could do FUCK-ALL to save them. So unless you have a REALLY good reason or motivation, thanks for the cleanup, but goodbye."

"But the human slaves are better treated now..." The Hakutaku was shocked at the refusal. He would have none of it, angrily brushing her protests.

"You know what's worse? With slavery and worse all around, and not even the humans cared. I saw monstergirl-human couples going at it where the human's kin suffered next door. So…"xie xie", my dear white furcow." Theo growled.

"And Goodbye. Auf Widersehn. Au Revoir. Get out and close the door, figuratively." He spat into the night.

Bai Ze's heart sank: he had grown bitter and hateful. But the Hakutaku would try one last ace up her sleeve, violating some of her spiritual code.

"I'll give you a chance for vengeance, will you listen then?"

"Not likely." Theo didn't look at her as he stirred his pot. "Against who?"

"Shindalla." The Hakutaku was grasping at straws, her beautiful face twisting between hope and frustration. "I can...tell you where she is."

"Hmm..."

Memoirs of Slade, co-governor of Temirburg:

I am a man of science and reason, but often confined to Lescatian academies. Were it not for my diplomatic mission to Temirburg to make sure humans are treated well in the Reik now, this war might have gone differently.

I was received by an amiable couple of women, the former Duchess, dressed like a lady of the court with two children standing next to her, and her..."husband", a dark elf woman dressed snappily like an elaborate admiral of the seas. I was even more perturbed when I saw that the first child was a Dark Elf girl, and the other a human girl, each playing handball. I was utterly baffled when I learned they were twins.

I was told that some alchemical reagents and magic can implant a mamono child in a human woman. The "Governess-General", Vierna, ensured she saw both children as her own family.

I realized that the new generations can grow to love each other without enmity, love transcending mere lust or even gender (asking Vierna about a potential mamono male and human male love was met with a shrug -sure!-), even though Vierna admitted she marched in as a conqueror, but fell in love with the human woman who ran the city.

All we needed was a bit of breathing room and a little empathy. For centuries we thought care for the lost and small was for losers: yet a little care repaired centuries of strife and hate, we saw and realized.

When I asked her what her motivation for this was, she answered with one word: Love. She said she didn't intend to mistreat or resettle humans anyway but the human Duchess' pleas and earnestness warmed her heart.

In any case, I was right, and the Lescatian Theocrats were wrong, especially after weeks of research in Temirburg's grimoires:

Monsters are addicted to (often) opposite gendered human bodies, their smells, fluids and sensations, derived from a succubus' essence permeating all Monsterkin. There is a rumor that Maou's wife, Agrat Bat Mahlat, actually engineered this, supported by the palace coup during the Battle of Megiddo.

Monstergirls are addicted to human deeds, culture, food, and of course, bodies. Even sleeping next to a human woman will somehow nourish most of them, which now explains centuries of chaos and slavery issue:

We were too dumb to realize it, the monsters were even more idiotic not to negotiate. Generations of war lie on both sides' feelings of insecurity and fear.

Monsters aren't accidents of natural order, they are part of it. Science is mere manipulation of nature, not some God's permission of power. Magic,manipulation of said energies on a fundamental basis was a science upon itself, could be combined with conventional science for good and the Birth Question of monsterkind can be cured. And that may very well be the key to eternal peace. I had decided: I will stay. I will make sure the Birth Question will be negated as painlessly as possible. And we will have our grandchildren, mamono and human, playing with each other happily, living and falling in love freely, Lescatian fanatics be damned.

I asked Vierna for a laboratory, and she nodded and smiled. She even promised (willing) test subjects as long as the experiments involved pleasure and childbirth, and nothing went out of common sense and ethics.

Then came the Invasion, and it changed the whole equation. One question remained as the north burned and fell under chains darker than of our world.

Where the hell was Theo, the Boogeyman, the Blood Angel? He had killed the Mamono God-King. He could do so again.

Because he could do two things I could not. Blind leaps and self-sacrifice. I'm a man of progress and self-indulgence. I prefer safety and steady progress and experimentation than giving up part of my body, and I am loath to die

No, really, I love living and (expletive) hate dying.

Plus, the mamono are VERY hospitable at night, and I can admit that I sired many, many mamono babies in the weekly balls.

But him? An insane, traumatized young man combined with a lucky break in forbidden Blood Magic and some cantrips with no care on his part. His classification, a combination of a berserkr and a sorcerer is simply mind-boggling. My colleague, Julius Terminus suggested "Reaver" as a name to dangerous warriors using blood magic and devouring souls.

He sacrifices blood of his own, blood of others (though admittedly not innocents), and his own lifetime and fertility to accomplish his tasks. Admittedly he trains, yes, but he is mostly reported to have go at enemies foaming at the mouth, lost in wild spells and two-handed weapon action to slash and burn everything in sight.

Some reports even say he transforms his jaw to a demonic one to tear at some combatants in close combat, when blood magic to damage the combatant is not sufficient. I do not believe that: excited minds make up stories like that.

Terminus suggested his haste and lack of attention was an aversion to confront his fears and past.

Does family loss drive a man to this insanity? Is loss enough to force a sacrifice? Or simple trauma? I'm afraid such sciences of human psyche are not my vocation, but I fear he is a fast burning weapon that will die soon.

My studies were consumed in warfare and weaponry, as a desperate coalition started being formed around the city. My experiments were mothballed to oversee smithing of Lescatian ballistae and armor suits.

Philosophy does not survive war.

The Hakutaku was disappointed.

His heart exuded an aura or rage and sorrow, but also an endless source of willpower. How to exploit this…?

She was disappointed. "Would you at least listen to my case? I know you are hurt…please. Just spare some time." The bovine woman's sad face in the moonlight was hauntingly beautiful, making Theo temporarily blink and sigh.

"Fine." His face was a mirthless mien. "Don't expect much."

"Perhaps it's time you lao wai started hearing our side of cosmology. The Mamono God-King you devoured is not destroyed: its spirit lives inside you to call across the cosmos."

"So, what do I do?" Theo tilted his head. "I'm not afraid of dying. Tell me to die and I'll fall on my sword now just to hurt the bugger."

Bai Ze smiled sadly, laden with sorrow. "Too late. He opened a portal near the Northern Wastes to call beings from similar worlds with views like his own. Slavers, cannibals, and worse. Since you deprived him of his dreams of making humans suffering slaves, pets and food, he decided to ruin the world."

Theo sighed, something he was used to do so much. "No end of suffering, hmm?"

The Hakutaku nodded sadly. "And they are coming en masse. Last year the portal grew and expanded, as my sisters have confirmed. So yes, this world is doomed."

"How do I close it?" Theo took an inquisitive glance.

The Hakutaku looked away. "Banzai."

"Banzai?"

"It means ten thousand. The portal was opened by an anguished soul. You need ten thousand willing souls to sacrifice themselves. Such is the sad equation of sacrifice." Bai Ze looked away with teary eyes. "I am considering suicide, as my sisters do to deny them our wisdom."

Theo looked up and sneered, his pale skin looking haunted in the moonlight. "Nah. I'll do it." Before the bovine woman could smile, he growled. "For a heavy price."

Theo snapped his fingers. "Life is such. I was a slave the next week a girl said I was cute."

"What happened to her? Who was she?"

"My captor's daughter, a little Dark Elf girl. Rioting slaves raped and hung her. She was 9 I think."

Bai Ze gasped, and tears flooded her face. Theo shrugged. "The mamono did worse to my people." The Hakutaku woman was crying and mumbling something melodic.

"What's that?"

" Want me to translate?" Theo nodded.

"May the deceased be be free from animosity, free from oppression, and free from trouble. May they guide themselves to Nirvana without rebirth."

Now it was Theo's eyes turn to moisten. "Life doesn't work that way, I found out." He spoke in a crying voice. The Hakutaku hugged him tighter, her fluffy tail gently caressing his neck like a warm scarf. "Ssshh..."

"Stay with me tonight, Bai Ze? Just for tonight?" Theo looked up, teary eyed.

"Of course. As long as you want."

"Tonight will suffice. Tomorrow I ride. If you can, use your magic, or something, to send a vision to a couple of people?" The hakutaku nodded carefully.

"So you WILL?" Bai Ze 's eyes lit up.

"For a price." Theo sneered. "Can you do spells? Communication?"

"Not too many though. But wizards sleeping at night will see it as a hazy dream." Bai Ze nodded.

"Inform everyone you can about this, and give me your horse, walk back to the Mamono capital; it's not far. I have an idea. Screw the panic. I'm tying loose ends. and calling in favors." Before Bai Ze could smile, Theo stopped her:

"I have a price. Several." He raised a hand.

Bai Ze listened, and Bai Ze nodded.

"Hard." The bovine horned woman tapped her chin.

"I don't me when I'm gone, or I swear, I'm calling Maou and letting him in my soul." Theo's face darkened, again. "I've had it. I want closure. Either this curse I told you ends on my kin, either we and the dark ones make peace: or I swear, I'm the next Maou with blood in his eyes."

His voice, deep and determined, did not falter. The Hakutaku did not meet his eyes which flared with not only anger, but a hint of uncontrolled rage as well.

"I'll try." She didn't argue the point.

"There is another price." Theo reclined, smiling from ear to ear after closing eyes for several minutes. The Hakutaku, Bai Ze, simply blinked in shock when he whispered what he wanted.

"what?..."

"I…" Bai Ze laughed nervously, blushing, and shocked by his crude, unsubtle approach. "I'm just an o-old ox yokai…I don't understand what you find so attractive about…" *she wrung her hands, smiling nervously, "A doddering old lady." She was beautiful to any eye, and she knew it. But it was unexpected for her target.

"Oh please." Theo chuckled, a hand reaching to hold her own. She softly closed her fingers around his, but kept a hesitant look in his eyes.

Theo raised his eyebrows. "Then it's not a high price, is it?" Smiling, he sat right in front of her. "And you aren't old. To a human you look…mid-thirties." He smiled kindly.

The Hakutaku's face was beet red, and she was more intrigued than hesitant at his words. "But, certainly aren't there girls of your ag-" Her senseless protest was silenced by a soft kiss on her pale lips. She didn't resist, even opening her lips to entwine her tongue with his, giving a sharp gasp when one hand slid around her dress to grasp a large breast with an achingly erect nipple.

"Gods…aren't you disgusted by an old-" Another kiss softened her; she found the sensation to be quite pleasant, even mildly responding...

"Theo pleas-mmph…" Another kiss, combined with a soft shove on her chest, and she was beet red, panting for air on his bedroll.

"You really want me, don't you?"

Theo nodded. Seeing the Hakutaku hesitate, he asked with a soft voice. "Great Hakutaku, I have a wish. Please grant me…" With a grin, he whispered. "...teach me how to make a beautiful Hakutaku lady happy, right now."

Her kind could not resist "teaching." She pouted, and chuckled. "Cheater."

Theo chuckled.

"Oh Gods…it was…so many years..." The

"You were pent up, miss." Theo smiled sweetly, kissing her and rubbing her horns. "A majestic yokai like you deserves more than that."

"Oh stop it." Bai Ze giggled, as Theo fumbled with her dress, slowly reaching soft, large breasts hidden inside her clothes. Each was as large as her head, held down by tight coverings. Gently Theo kissed her neck and bent her slowly over, making her land on all fours, buttocks as large as her breasts straining the fabric of her clothes.

"So shameful. At least someone wants me so brazen..." Soft kisses on her breasts, stimulating large, pink nipples made her bite her knuckles. Theo made the Hakutaku, with gentle motions, get on her hands and knees, stripping her clothes with the utmost gentleness. Her rear was human, plump, and quite curvy, and showed eager

"Like that, huh?" She chuckled. "Like...catt-"

"Ssh..." He traced a finger across her womanhood, the finger softly tracing her labia, above which a cute tuft of white hair dangled, now damp with desire. The moment his finger found a tiny pink clitoris, the Hakutaku let out a moan that would echo across the night, cut short by one ashamed hand.

"Gods, you are teasing me!"

"Not long." He smiled, landing a small kiss on her plump buttocks. The Hakutaku giggled, enjoying small body kisses and squirming in pleasure, dripping wet with each touch and pinch. Slowly he kissed and sucked each cheek, massaging the now-naked hakutaku's voluptuous body and savoring every inch of skin.

Slowly, both, human and monster, embraced each other closer and taking off their clothes one by one. Soon, the Hakutaku, and Theo were in each other's arms wearing nothing but the night's darkness.

The Hakutaku's flesh was soft, her skin smelling of jasmine and anise, with thighs sporting fur soft as silk, as she returned every kiss with grace, mumbling in Zhong at every touch, pinch and kiss on her heavenly body.

"To copulate with a dirty barbarian lao wai..." She mumbled, even as Theo slowly entered her

He laughed with every thrust when the Hakutaku squealed, shuddering, her sopping cunt swallowing his cock. The beautiful monster-woman threw a leg and turned, with his cock still embedded inside her.

"Kiss me."

Theo obliged, lavishing and embracing the Hakutaku with love, his hands caressing her neck, still thrusting savagely in her cunt with wet slaps.

"Yes." She gasped with every thrust, their bodies heating up with the lovemaking under the stars. Moaning like an animal, she let him plow her, again, filling her body with his male essence. Under the pale moon they copulated, like cattle on all fours, slowly, gently so he and her could enjoy every moment of it with thrusts, kisses, and screams.

Yet all joy had an end, and every past ghost a confrontation for Theo. She told where Shindalla was, for a condition.

"Please, please try to talk her out of it. Who knows, she might join your quest?" She made him swear not to attack without a reason.

And so he did. Yet oaths meant little to the spiritually monstrous.

The huge Ancient Black Kitsune's meditation was disrupted before it started as soft footsteps could be picked up by her big, black, fluffy ears. Her meaty big ears twitched with anticipation when the shadow filled her meditation chamber.

Shindalla was a massive kitsune, fur black as the night, and blood red firepits for eyes to match.

Theo was before her, gray eyes cold as death. Her death.

"You."

"Me." He slowly passed her by, and squatted before her. The Black-Furred giant kitsune did not disrupt her lotus position. Her eyes watched Theo warily as he sat cross-legged in front of him.

"So."

"So."

Both man and mamono played the silent treatment for nearly half an hour. Shindalla's scarred face was a mask of neutrality as she carefully spoke.

"I hope you are well."

Theo sighed. "Anniversary of Ellas Islands raids." He kept a careful smirk when he explained the fateful, cursed day that ravaged his soul.

"My sympathies for your pain." She answered back, carefully. Seeing his eyes darken with fury, Shindalla didn't even bother expressing anger. She just rolled her eyes.

"Kill me then." The ancient slaver mamono whispered. "If it will relieve your heart."

"No." He whispered back.

"Why are you here?" She whispered.

"First, to curse your name." He whispered back. "you are a wretched yokai that has no justification for your disgusting behaviour." She sighed in annoyment. "Same thing, every day. If you won't kill me, then what? Kill my kin? Go on." She whispered.

"I bet you'd like me to kill your relatives." Theo whispered like a dead gale.

"You'd prove me right."

"Nah, I'm to increase your relatives." Theo grinned. "Your nephew is pregnant with my child.

For one second, a mask of sheer rage appeared in Shindalla's ancient kitsune face. She recollected herself shortly. "Fine. I hope... you will take responsibility with your new daughter. I have nothing against human fathers...anymore..."

"Can't." Theo whispered. Shindalla smirked.

"Then I am right. Humans are irresponsible and evil"

"Neither are you right." Theo smiled enigmatically.

"How so?" The kitsune's black tails were crooked, pointing at his face as if bowing to listen to his words.

"I'll be dead soon." Theo whispered.

"I'm…sorry for you." Shindalla whispered without malice. "You were suffering every second after the…dark times. I hope you will reunite with your family in Bardo."

Theo shook his head. "I don't think there is an afterlife. Nor do I care."

"Then I am deeply sorry for the stress you suffer, knowing you are lost. Want a refreshment?" She sipped some green tea.

"I just want death." Theo sighed. Shindalla looked at him with pity.

His face was a mask of death, eyes baggy, and no amount of glamour and make-up could hide the enormous stress of blood magic and sighed: It was her kind's doing.

"Would it be consolation that if you were my slave, I would have never treated you like that?"

Theo looked with anger, teary eyed. "You made the slave pits run. Counts as the same. You killed me. You killed millions. And you still have no pang of conscience."

Shindalla shrugged: "I exterminated wasps that would pollute a world and annoy us. You... I could keep as a servant I would not abuse."

Theo gasped in a coy display of sorrow, completely ignored by the giant, black kitsune. "You are a monster. So yes, kill me and be done with it." Theo spoke, ful of tears, voice grating from pain and sorrow. "Don't pretend you are oh-so-serene eastern bullshit now."

"If it is your wish, I can do it… as painlessly as possible. It's the least I can do." Shindalla had a brief, faint smile. She nodded in understanding when Theo sobbed with tears dripping on the sand. "I'm tired. so…tired."

Shindalla felt a miniscule pang of conscience in her ancient,evil heart. "Very well, since…you are so much in pain because of me, it would go against decency to not offer you something numbing beforehand." She sighed. "Some Opium? Tobacco? Sake? I have a pipe." Theo shook his head.

"Information." Theo mumbled. "I will give you information, and take one in return." His wrinkled face was full of bloody tears. Shindalla recoiled, and remembered Blood Magic was blocked in her temple, so it wasn't blood magic. "Fair enough."

"My question. Answer me honestly this: have you felt nothing, NOTHING at all for those under your yoke?" Theo had asked almost on the verge of tears. "Nothing at all?"

..

Shindalla looked at him earnestly. Her face was a mask of ice, though Theo could make out a few softening muscles. She almost smiled.

Yet her ego and air of supremacy made her answer the worst way possible.

"A little, when cruelty was applied needlessly, because it would disrupt their effi-"

Theo's face had been, all this time, a mask of pain. But what the mask actually hid was moving lips. He finished his chanting and with one flick of his hand lightning fast, touched Shindalla's temple.

"WISH!"

"Shit…" Shindalla cursed herself at letting down her guard as time froze.

"I wish for a vision of truth,  
hearts unmasked,  
the veil of time shatters,  
dreams unveiled!"

Theo shouted the words in a rhyme to please the Arcana into granting his wish as Bai Ze instructed. Shindalla screamed. She screamed as her eyes filled with arcane energies taking her vision to the past. He screamed in her ears to add insult to the injury:

"I will tear out the answer from you if I have to!"

...

Both stood on a beach. The beach had entire fisherman families bringing in fish and clams. On the beach played children, human boys and girls as families worked.

Both dreamers saw the childhood Theo talking in the shade with a little girl. Theo's actual form tapped Shindalla's shoulders and pointed behind the rock, where a Dark Elf woman waited with a small rowboat.

"You used your daughters to spy on our villages by using children. Seriously, how low can you sink?"

"Says the Blood Mage that sweats blood right now." The Ancient Kitsune rubbed her temples. "Your fucking voice..."

"Cut it. Wouldn't do that if all of these hadn't happened." The human growled.

The girl was an adorably young Dark Elf, with innocence shining from her purple, big bright eyes. Theo snapped his fingers and the vision "zoomed in".

"Mommy says you are…"good mer-chandise"." The little dark elf sat next to Theo, reading a tiny scrap of cues. "Means you are pretty…I guess." She dangled her feet from the rocks absentmindedly.

"Thanks. And thanks for the ice cream." Theo's childhood apparition smiled.

"Mom says there is more for good boys that tell where the watchmen stay at night. Mom said me if you are a good boy there will be many rewards." The dark elf child smiled sweetly, her big pointy ears twitching in joy. "And she'll give you a very special gift." She whispered.

Theo's big brown eyes opened. "Tell me."

"Promise to tell NO ONE?" The Dark Elf girl pleaded. Theo nodded in return. The girl leaned shyly and started whispering every detail. The boy's eyes opened in fascination and excitement. It was like the little "prisoner plays" the girl's mother and he had played but much more...intimate.

"And if she is happy with you afterwards, she will give YOU to me as birthday gift. Wrapped!" She started to giggle. "like gift box! But you are inside and wear nothing! And you'll call me only 'mistis'… and kiss my hand and feet. Mwahaha!" The little tyrant loli was weakly imitating her mother.

"Sounds…nice!" Theo quipped. His insides felt funny from the described ordeals. "Would you take care'a me?" The dark elf loli nodded. "If you'll be my sla...servant, ill keep you bestest. Best care, best food and bed, and…I guess you'd sleep with me in bed every time!" She smiled. "We'd be together all the time having fun!"

"Thanks I guess." Theo looked down, ashamed. "Mom says good boys deserve good care by their…super..ir dark elf…supur…superer..betters! I'd give good care becuz you are a good boy and you'd do all your chores becuz I own you." The Dark Elf girl replied.

A flash of light shining from her mother's lantern disturbed her promises. She tapped Theo and the boy showed her points on the village walls, without knowing they'd be weaknesses.

"Thanks, my servant!" Without knowing that this meant , the Dark Elf loli hugged Theo's past body affectionately. "And what do you say?"

"Thank you mistis!" Theo bowed, and kissed her friend's cheek softly, making her giggle. "I like you Teo."

"And I like you Mist..Mistress Lins. Soooo much!" He ran back, blushing red and excited as the dark elf girl disappeared amongst the rocks, sailing away. Theo ran home, full of joy and excitement. Would they take his family too?

They would, in the most horrible of ways.

Theo's adult form glared at Shindalla with a look of pure hate. "not even humans did this, you know. I'd call this..."fucked up"."

The ancient kitsune shrugged. " What's wrong with breaking in boys earlier to mamono yoke? You and Lins could have been the happiest, cutest couple if her mother took you in that day. What happened?"

Theo sneered, and pointed towards the raider ship, hidden amongst the fog, and the visions of the raid and slaughter. The black mamono shrugged : "Pity. If she would have taken you in earlier, you'd be a good husband to Lins, away from this war."

Theo rolled his eyes. "Please tell me you are going to take this seriously, THIS once. MY. VILLAGE. DIED. THERE. This is a vision done by a Wish spell. I don't want to force you." The dark kitsune's eyes were fixed on him, as she sighed again.

"Theo...believe me, I am trying to understand you. I know I ordered this raid but I told them to show restraint. I know I captured killed and discarded lots of humans, but you...you don't want revenge, you don't want to live your life...I'm trying to figure out what the hell do you want..." Her tails started swishing in anger.

"Insight. Reason. Explanation" Theo pointed at a small mote of light in the center of the vision.

"Vision."

Everything went black.

The little dark elf girl was looking from the window at the rows of weeping, crying human captives. Mothers and children hugged each other in chains. Mamono sneered, raped men who showed clearly they didn't want any sexual contact, and drank plundered wine as they passed.

"Mom, why are we doing this? That's Theo's village!" She was shocked, since dark elf as she may be, she was nine, her heart pure and shocked at the enslavement of innocents so blatantly.

"They work for us sweetie. We take humans and make them work for us. Come, you'll learn later after lunch." Her mother was filling a manifest full of slaves.

The little girl frowned, and left without a word. "I don't wanna eat! I don't like this!" Before her mother could protest, she slammed her tiny hand on the table: "You said we'd not hurt them, we'd make them work and love us! YOU LIED TO ME!"

Her mother suddenly turned in an angry, authoritative face: "Lins, this is how our race liv-"

"NO! LEAVE ME BE!" She slammed the door shut. "I HATE YOU!"

Theo flicked a finger and shifted the time flow. Now the scene was shifted forward, to the point when a mine pit exploded, and mamono overseers started to panic as slaves rioted, they too fleeing from a crazed human boy wielding hellish magicks.

Liberation came in form of grim, iron-clad men and wooden ships racing towards the slave port, sporting helmets that protected the nose and head, clad in chainmail, all trained to kill.

"When I learned a few dark little secrets from your friends'..." He smiled wickedly. His childhood self was shouting arcane words, and blasting apart entire mine shafts so slaves could escape.

"And the Human Army decided to crash the party, Illyria, of all people that never liked Hellas." He pointed to a series of sailships racing towards the shores. "You like mocking us. I am yet to see a dragon surviving a Lescatian ballista barrage." As if his words became reality, two dragongirls that rose to attack the fleet were swatted aside, instantly killed by a barrage of bolts fired by trained crews.

"Allfather preserve us! SAVE OUR KINSMEN!" A heavy iron helmeted man shouted a warcry as knights, militiamen and warriors of all sorts disgorged from the belly of wooden ships striking shore. His helmet was topped with a golden crown, his banner the banner of Imperial Eagle.

"King Julius, Thrice-Blessed Eagle King of Illyria."

A swarm of Ugaric riders, fur-clad pony riders leapt from the ships to trample the defenders on the shore, armored pony hooves thundering as they trampled the scattered goblins to bloody paste.

"URA!"

Claws, swords and scaled bodies were crushed by the coming rescue armyas screams and ring of metal signaled the tortured masses in the cells their rescue.

Theo snapped his fingers again. What he showed was far from pleasant, but suffice to say that the dark elf girl that talked to him was in her room reading when angry, weeping, bloodied human slaves kicked down the door. One of them held her Dark Elf woman's severed head. Their eyes held madness, and rage.

"Mah...daughters...died in there...you little bitch!" He threw her head at the daughter's lap, who let out a terrified shriek.

"KILL HER!"

"Mommyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!" The dark elf girl's scream was drowned as she was surrounded by human slaves. One of them started to undo his loincloth.

She screamed in unrestrained terror when she saw the imminent rape.

"HELP! HEEEEEEEELP! SOMEONE! PLEASE!"

"The screams and sounds haunt me every night." Theo growled. Seeing the dark kitsune stay silent, he pressed on: "I wonder who owned the slave mines that day. Must have yielded a fortune. But then, some ancient mine-owner mamono thought the human might of chastity, or war-craft was not enough."

Another turn of the page.

The entire mine area had thousands of mamono, torn, tortured and hung from gallows as surviving slaves took horrific vengeance on those that didn't flee. Theo pointed towards the dark elf girl, raped and strangled and hung, dribbling filth from the ceiling of her room. The Shindalla of this timeline was escaping with a mule-load of coins.

Screams echoed as captive monstergirls were being broken on the wheel by the slaves they just whipped an hour ago.

Just when the black kitsune was about to start retorting, Theo snapped:

"Don't bother. Everyone has darkness in his heart. What mattered is your side started it. So am I angry but I don't go butchering or enslaving folks for my comfort. Don't even start saying humans are same. The men that did this COULD be assholes...that still dont justify enslaving anyone."

Now it was Shindalla's time to retort: "And I assume your side never did anything wrong or started any conflict? For thousands of years? No priestly orders hunting down yokai?"

"Only when they eat peasants."

"And should the poor yokai starve?"

"If they need to eat creatures with familes, emotions and hearts then YES!" He screamed.

"And you think the cattle and chickens everyone eats is mindless? You even have the slightest damn notion, you retarded peasant brat?" She started losing her temper as well, albeit slowly. The moment she'd strike him would mark the end of the spell and Theo would certainly boil her from the inside.

The Dark Kitsune tried to meditate on matters beyond the human world, and that idiot was pestering her.

Theo grinned. He extended her hands, and waved it around as if turning a giant wheel. "My kind doesn't torture livestock you dumb fuck. My family even does their best to keep calves with their mothers, and speaking of killing for meat, well...everyone dies, we keep them decent during their lives. Again, wrong."

Time turned back, thousands of years ago, when bronze and stone was the tools of the time.

Ancient Misrani civilisation was ruled by Anubises and throngs of second class men under beatings and lash. The city of Uruk was ran by Minotaurs and Sphinxes that demanded blood sacrifices. Until the human armies of Holy Ermorian Empire claimed the west, its warrior Prophet Lescat prayed against the mamono's arcane blood, and the world shifted for favor of humanity.

He waved again, only to shift time to the point when the first "mamono" tribe driving the humans to work under beatings, and even eat their children and the dead. Shindalla smirked and looked away, her ancient fox features under her shiny black fur ruffling like a silvery cloud as the morning sun shifted across her fur.

"Look."

"No."

"You asked for this."

Last thing Shindalla would see was a fist crashing down her nose, were it not for her ancient reflexes.

Gracefully dropping back, She twisted, rolled around him, and locked legs to throw him down. Theo grasped both her arms, making her nearly drop the kunai, small throwing daggers she hid in her palm.

"Fool." The ancient, dark-hearted Kitsune growled. "Spell's gone on my terms." Now she could easily kill him without his blood magic.

"No blood...magic." Theo grunted, arms sweating. She was far stronger, and in moments he'd be dead. Concentrating all his remaining strength on two arms, he started chanting through gritted teeth.

He saw a flash of light, a kunai aimed at his eyes by a strong fox tail. He barely moved his head before getting his brain mashed. Kicking up, he hit her squarely on the groin and making her flinch. Pulling his legs to his stomach, he tried to kick upwards again. No such luck, his legs were grasped by eight tails, four on each leg.

Time to cast.

Shouting the last sentence, he disappeared, making the kitsune assassin smash the floor with her face.

"You little rat-"

Her world went black.

He had blinked behind her, and kicked her on the back of her thick skull. Snarling, the dark monster rolled and leapt at his throat...

...only to receive a magic imbued fist on her windpipe.

"-gack!"

Before she could recover and breathe, he was on top her with glowing fists. Another fist exploded on her face, and another.

"You-" A fist exploded on her face, swelling an eye shut.

"-heartless-" Second fist shook something loose from her mouth.

"-arrogant-" A third cracked a rib.

"-CHILD MURDERING-" A fourth fist sent several teeth flying.

"-slaving-" He headbutted her. "-racist BITCH!"

Completely lost in dark rage, he kept punching her face and ribs...

...and another...

and another, and dozen another rained on her face.

He winced as something cracked under his fists and she went limp. "Last one was for Brikha...when you said "That one. Take her..."

Mouth foaming, he grunted, heaving for breath even as he lifted her body. "Oh you aren't slipping so easily, you morbid alien fuck." He grabbed her limp body, opened his palms, started chanting, and slapped his bloodied, glowing palms on her head.

"Transplant Memories." He started chanting and regurgiating all the memories he swallowed, and all he learned of his race's history. Mixing them with the past, he let his mind invade the stunned Kitsune's own.

"Feel everything me, my kith and kin felt. Then we are square."

Shindalla screamed, screamed and screamed until her voice went hoarse.

Hours later, Shindalla's eyes were glazed. Her soul was broken from what she saw. Theo sat quietly, crosslegged in front of her. The fox-shinobi's lips trembled to let out one voice "I didn't know…"as her smashed nose and lips dripped blood.

"Now you do." Theo's voice rumbled. "I was dreaming, we all were dreaming: Couldn't we all just get along? We never hated you in the beginning."

"Gods…"

"No gods here, Shindalla. This is the pain of 3000 year old, suppressed cognitive dissonance, as Bai-ze sensei put it." He pointed to her tearful eyes. "You raided and killed and enslaved, and claimed morality because we looked "backwards". Now reality catches up with you. Just because you are cute, magical and have pointy ears does not mean you get a free pass in slavery and murder. This isn't your tales of monster supremacy; this is reality." He smiled bitterly, spitting on her face.

Shindalla threw up. Losing all decency, a stream of piss emerged around her tight fitting kimono and shinobi armor. Theo's face was a stone cold mask noticing the agony.

"You laughed and drank rice wine as humans were led weeping in chains."

"gggrbl…" The dark kitsune whimpered, blood dripping from her face.

"The ancient Oni cook dragged sobbing humans to the kitchen where their cries would end with a thud as you joked and ate stew, and even gave the meatto "liberated" slaves you kept as morality pets."

"I'm…sorry…" Shindalla repeated meekly.

"For millenia you said humans' Allfather was a bully as you killed and sold humans like candies."

"I'm…sorry…" She was bawling bloody tears.

"Well being sorry doesn't bring back the dead or the ruined lives…" He smirked. Standing up, he left the kitsune to her own devices.

"I'm going to kill myself to stop a million worse." He left without another word and without looking back. "Unless you are pissing yourself to sleep, you can join in and redeem your past. Blood is blood. Yours, a potent nectar would do better in such a ritual."

Shindalla retched again.

"But then, you are too much of a coward to give a bit back. Fuck. You." He spat at her teary face at nose-distance, charging back, stomped her tails just for spite as well. Walking outside, he disappeared without looking at the shrine, speaking just one sentence before he left.

"You are a disgrace to everything civilized!"

Returning to his horse, he noticed that additional horses had surrounded it. No, women with the lower body of horses.

Beyond the shrine's clearing, the Daughters of Arpad were already waiting, centaur women with steely eyes and steely purpose:

"The wise beast said you'd be here." Eszter stepped forward and spoke without flourish. "The land needs you." She tapped her back.

"North Frankonia, Temirburg..." He did not need another word to say, far too tired to apply blood magic to run. Other centaur women giggled as he fell asleep within seconds on the strong mamono's back, snoring.

As they rode back, Eszter sighed, and had him wrapped in a blanket and securing him. One of her hands constantly fixed him, and when others weren't looking, ruffled his hair affectionately, even as he was a bloodied, shaggy monster. She knew the shrine, Shindalla's past.

The night was warm, like the blood that dripped from the steps of the shrine as they left.

Memoirs of Slade, War Alchemist of Temirburg

"Love and War."

Do the mamono fight for their loved ones? The answer is a big yes.

Before me lies a smithy. Burly minotaur girls and cyclopses look on grimly, smithing slabs of metal to exotic weapons and armor. Manticore women are training en masse, binding their tail...orifices shut with rubber bands and dipping them into strange mixtures. When I asked one, a mature manticore woman with a clipped lion ear and a scar on one good eye said that she knew a way to make pleasure venom into the old, dark age venom: a horrid, painful death delivering liquid. Lizardwomen? I can hear screams in unison, and clash of metal against wood as each and every scaly hand is slamming something with their fists.

Dark Elves, the controversial mamono who, on the surface look like the invading drow, are furious. No one sees them, and most seem to be occupied with a frenzied preparation inside the forests next to Temirburg.

One of them, a nurse-like dressed Dark Elf, led me to an infirmary where they nursed drow-enslaved mamono back to some semblance of health. Her eyes were dry red, as if she'd been crying for days.

"When I saw these, I realized our kind was playing like children." She sobbed, nursing a traumatized light elf back to health. "Baby. Baby. It's alright. You are home." She was crying as she tried to feed the light elf slave some porridge.

Her shushing and tears had no effect on the elf girl, who was giving constant, ragged keening , quiet cry. She could say only one thing.

"Girl is not permitted to talk unless spoken to."

Every nurse that heard it could be seen weeping a tear or two.

"Girl asks not to be punished anymore."

The Dark Elf nurse ground her teeth as her teary eyes showed a fury unseen before. She grabbed my arm with a look of pure determination once she rubbed her eyes clean. "Mister Slade. Give me your war potions. Berserkr potions. Explosives. Those...human...human..." She tried to remember. "Gas...crossbow...things...

I knew her. I knew Thala. She was a friendly rival of sorts, we had...we had...things going on."

I realized the mamono could, too, sacrifice lives for former enemies too when the new invaders were a million worse.

After all, love and hate was far too intertwined in this world. The question was, could we win, and if we won, could we resume our mellow way of life?

Memoirs of Slade, War Alchemist and Co-Governor of Temirburg

"Love, Sex, and War."

The amount of war preparation in Temirburg is unbelievable by mamono standards. Lescatian Theocrats can hump it. The stress also breeds lust and love as well. The city is now an utterly chaotic mixture of a brothel, a smithy and barracks.

As are the pregnancies which literally exploded across the mamono population in the last Free City of the north. Vierna, the "General-Governess", has declared the city to be independent from Mamono Crown as well, and declared it to be a neutral place with free access to all. All indentured servants have their debts cleared and every former slave is freed with a small stipend. This particularly drew attention from Lescatie Empire and its subject kingdoms in shape of a friendly envoy.

And so, I had the honor of sharing my findings with the Imperial delegates. Most were pleased, and equally fascinated by friendly mamono not many saw face to face.

More importantly, the Imperial guard that followed the delegation had a past with mamono captivity. They had some problems to work out.

One component still lacked.

But then, that maniac popped up in the most inappropriate of times.

The Ball Before War:

The castle of Temirburg, after its conquest by mamono was rebuilt and refurnished considerably. Its moat was glowing pinkish, now added extra pheromones to weaken, rouse and disarm threats. Its battlements were painted pink, and the darker stones were polished.

The workforce was free, the former female defenders of the city were put to work as punitivepayment, under threat of being ransomed to families or failing that too, sold to mamono territory as slaves. Not one complained or refused. Truth be told, they were treated well and fed well, it was the humiliation that was tickling during day when they worked and toiled under watchful eyes and chuckling mamono.

Shoveling and building with nothing but tools, orange skimpy clothes and a soft whiplashes on naked legs during delaying. A yelp and "crack" made mamono giggle when bored as the women toiled and cleaned rubble and laid stonework. Suffice to say the mere presence of dark elf overseers boosted production.

The free labor also refurnished the interior as well. Vierna, being a dark elf was a perfectionist and dominant one. She wanted a large ball room, extensive "interrogation cells" and even opulent servants' quarters complete with massage beds as well. (though some giggles were raised at servants' quarters having cuffs and restraints, and ample stocks of romance novels, lavender candles and love potions)

The "free labor brigade" of soldier women were, in the end, treated to a night of fruits of their labors too: each spent an extensive oiled muscle massage after hard work and a day off with a tour and lodging at the servants' quarters. The sighs and giggles echoed for years ever since when Vierna had received news that her conception spell worked perfectly: her reluctant wife/co-ruler would conceive twins, one human and one dark elf.

One night, she received a visit from a certain person and acted:

Vierna freed the "labor brigade" ,while promising a life of indulgence and pleasure to any that would stay and volunteer themselves to be her personal slaves. To her delight, two accepted in secrecy and added to her nights of pleasures and available servants.

Now she went even further and ordered every slave kept by mamono as spoils of war to be freed, and indentured servants (people and mamono working hard -like mines and farms- for debts) redeemed.

"Time to look "civilized" to humans. Hope this idea of yours works."

This is how it happened...

Vierna kept slowly walking towards her quarters, savoring each thump of her high heels on the marble floor. The maids stood at attention, heads down, hands knotted as she passed towards her quarters after a hard day's work. Smiling, she gave a soft cheek caress to both maids at her door, and correcting one's dress. Snapping her fingers, she dismissed both:

"You have been good servants. Take the rest of the day off."

She handed her Duchess' hat to the new human one: one of the soldier women who meekly stood and did not resist capture, did not ask to be ransomed, and now stood quietly in attention with a collar on her neck which could not be removed. She didn't talk much, and her scarred face, haunted eyes and scarred back suggested as much. She must have returned from a northern patrol where the world went silent.

Vierna understood: she had seen Megiddo, listened stories of her human father and horrors of the earlier wars as well. She simply told her that now she didn't have to worry about complicated life anymore. "Go sleep at the infirmary. We'll talk later what to do with you." She planned to send her to a family of her own, failing that, marry her off to a very mild human serf with a pension.

She slowly turned the doorknob of her room and took a step...

Any further ideas of grooming traumatized humans and orphans as servants and concubines had to wait. There was an intruder.

Vierna never screamed in fear before. Her hand crossbow and sabre flashed in her hands within a split second as she saw that Theo lay on her bed.

"Evening." His way of greeting, as always was contrasted by his entry.

"THE FUCK!" She slammed a panic button hidden just below the lamp on her side, ringing alarms and summoning her guards in a flash. As footsteps and shouts approached like a tide, she heard moaning and mumbling as two little girls, one a human and another a dark elf emerged in nightgowns, rubbing their eyes.

"Moooooooooom? Daaaaaaaaad?"

Theo sighed, and held his face in his palms.

"If I wanted them dead i'd do it ages ago. Idiot."

The wall of crossbows had scared her children, who had been sitting with the intruder. They instinctively hid behind the man, voices full of worry. "Mom?Dad ?What are you doing?"

Her ebony face full of frustration and anger, she sighed and waved the panicked guards away. "Be glad their mother is busy signing a document, Theo, I don't appreciate this, and I'm not unprepared against you. This room is blood-warded." Vierna's greatest fear, a home invasion made her prepare everything in panic, and utmost paranoia.

"I know." He ruffled the girls' hair and sent them to sleep.

"What have you done with them?" Her pointy black ears twitched.

"Read books, played ball and taught them history. Human one, Esperanza is smart, Spes is...well, reserved but has a fire. She says she reads about knighthood, freeing slaves and charity. You are blessed with good children."

Vierna's eyes moistened. "Their mother, and they deserve the very best. They are of my blood as well. It was real low of you to barge like that."

Theo raised his eyebrows. "Why would I hurt them? They are the future."

Vierna bit her lips, sighed in relaxation and collapsed on a chair, signaling for wine outside the door. "WINE! AND SMOKE! You gave me a heart attack, you goatfucking, bitch-boned, brain-addled, limp-dicked moron of a human farmer's son..."

"Apple cider for me, also my father was a fisherman." He smiled apologetically. "And the closest to goat I'd fuck is a Satryos woman that would go to bed willingly with me.

Vierna balled her right fist and extended her middle finger. "You don't choose what I offer, Gintaras.." Theo shrugged and waited for his cup. Vierna went on: "Yes, we all know you, Theophilos, 4859, Gintaras or Yintars or whatever pseudonym you use... You are synonymous with a painful death to my kind. Every dark elf, especially after we heard some of our darker kind came to this world, is scared shitless at your name mentioned."

Theo shrugged and made an expression closest to a smile.

"Smoking next to children?" He donned his toothiest grin, which, by a quirk of art and culture, had been immortalized by an artist, as the grin of the last male troll.

"Fuck you." Vierna raised her finger again. His face twisted back to seriousness as he recounted his past.

"Caught in a raid at Ellas Islands, quiet, intelligent. Sold at Nya'm Khalazza for 110 gold pieces. Family's wellbeing can cause compliance." He recounted the manifest of that cursed day. "Then I learned to copy blood wards from a mirror's inverted display. That Nya'm was bloody paste when time came. As every last one of you that day, the rest hunted by King Julius's men and hung to the last." He paused. "But I haven't come to reopen old wounds. You are alive because your mother neither wanted to take part in these raids nor abuse your father. And well, you have kids, and I don't remember you being an atrocious fuck."

"Tomoko isn't alive." Vierna probed carefully, chewing her lips. Theo raised a hand.

"She attacked me first. I'm not a cuddly idiot. You hit me, you die, shitting yourself to death in my good days." He sipped the cup.

"And Bad Days?" Vierna smirked.

"Remember Megiddo." Theo shrugged. "Anyway. I came here to talk, ask for some favors, and ask for money and food." He savored Vierna's reaction: to ask for stuff from a dark elf in her domain, and make rough demands was like slapping their mother in the face.

"And...how...will...you...pay...for...them?" Vierna slowly asked, keeping her calm face under strain. Theo shrugged. "With my life."

Disarmed. Bullseye.

Vierna blinked. "Wha- you will be my slave? I suppose I could take you i-"

"I mean I will die for them." He flatly spoke, shrugging.

Vierna blinked, and appraised the man before him: the boy looked haggard, shaggy hair reaching his shoulders, 3-day stubble and grey-blue, icy, humorless eyes made him like a Revenant rather than human. He was alive, so much was certain, but somewhere in her mind she sensed he was driven with more than human instincts: broken like a beast and re-molded into something dark, but ultimately, trying to be human. She asked anyway:

"How so?"

"Listen, I must do a certain deed and you are my only hope..." Theo started to tell the dark elf the whole story.

It took hours, but when it was finished, Vierna stormed out, dragging him by the arm and shouting tons of orders around. Even the bureaucrat servants were roused from sleep and put to work.

As footsteps, shouts and clashing sounds filled the corridors, Vierna sat back to smoking and drinking, beckoning Theo to sit with him again.

"You changed." The purple eyes bore in his own.

"What?" Theo raised his eyebrows, drinking his whiskey. "How do you even know who I am?" He was curious.

Vierna shrugged. "We keep a good record of what you are. I read that you were a beast, a monster more frightening than what we are. With what you are armed, I expected my family to die here and then. Every magical scrying attempt just showed unadulterated hate in your mind." She explained as gently as she could.

Dark Elves never respected slave rebels, but one armed with the power of a God-destroying bloodline, and having a hair-trigger temper made her speak with care addressing delicate issues if she didn't want to end up a smear on the wall.

Theo frowned with an annoyed sigh. "I know what you are and what you are planning, as disgusting as I find your race's customs..."

"I am a slaver too, I keep slaves as "my race's customs...", but I do care for them." Vierna probed with some courage, refilling her glass. "But you. You now want to work with us, for conditions I find...fair. " Rose clan dark elves like Vierna took their slaves for the purpose of truly making them love their new lives, and had to agree with him on the inefficiency and needless cruelty of centuries. "What made you change, Theo?"

The young man looked up, his finished glass next to him.

"Some of us care..." He mumbled.

"What?" The dark elf tilted her head.

"Otep...an Anubis girl, one of them jackal eared cute policewomen..." He sighed. "I had sworn nothing but hate. And her family had taken in Human Genocide victims, one of them my sister..."

The dark elf froze, dropping her nonchalant façade and listening intensely, leaning forward. "And?"

Theo looked at the Anubis before him with eyes full of hate. He was bested, frozen, and warded from blood magic. Holy water evaporated fast, but an extremely expensive alchemical process produced an exotic material called moon-ice, which made him freeze in horror: the purified water by moonlight stuck like goo, and was the bane of any bloodmage.

He was struck with dozens of arrows made of moon-ice. His incredible, unnatural stamina, had been snuffed out there and then. He felt dead, dead amongst the creatures he hated, and loved.

"Kill me." He growled. "Your filth ruined by life, my sanity. Do it you jackal-cunt."

Yet her eyes showed no hate or hostility. Her ears were low, her voice almost a whine.

"KILL ME!" Theo screamed in purest hate.

"If you give up..." She leaned to his paralyzed form and whispered, making his eyes grow.

"W-why would you do that?" He could mumble.

"Because some of us care."

"So yeah, long story short. She cared. You..." He cleaned his nails with a dagger, looking at her. "...may yet be something ultimately good." He ignored the Dark Elf's frown. "I want to sleep. I feel so tired. Let's talk tomorrow. Please." He coughed, standing up.

"Sure." Vierna nodded, drinking her whiskey. "Bedrooms to my maids are to the left. Pick one. Or call some of my guard."

"No." Theo shook his head. "I'm exhausted, no demon energy for me, no sex. Not tonight." His eyes were half-dead.

"You sure you don't want? Half of my guards would love to pounce you to a night of joy you won't forget."

His head shook rapidly, recoiling in fear. "No Dark Elves...no..." He almost coughed, his eyes growing. It wrung even Vierna's jaded conscience and arrogant self, eliciting a sigh from her dark purple lips.

"Sweetheart." The Dark Elf had smiled with understanding sadness. "You fought my people's slavers for so long, hated everything for so long...I think..."

"Think what?" Theo looked like a nervous rabbit before a wolf, his grim, sour face gone.

"Theo..." Vierna sighed. "You are motivated by hate...hated and fought for so long, your masters, my people. Perhaps if you learned to love one, spend a loving evening alone, who knows what your heart..."

Tears flowed freely on impulse from the face grown old far too young. "Not in this lifetime." The dark elf before her sighed and shook her head, unable to gauge the trauma.

"As you wish." She drank her whiskey without mirth. "Do you want a full bed or empty one? I'm sure many mamono, or even human maids i have wouldn't mind."

"Empty bed, soundproof." Theo's eyes were weary.

"Why?"

Theo shook his head. "You don't want to hear me waking up to a nightmare. Even after Bai Ze erased most of them."

"Who is she?" By the time she had asked, a maid entered the room hesitantly, only to proceed when she signaled her to come in. The human girl bowed gently and looked at Theo, obviously to lead him to his bedroom.

"You'll see her in a few days. A Hakutaku. Good night." He stood up quietly and followed the girl to guide him his bed.

Outside, on the balcony, Vierna's traumatized human maid lay in the arms of a Lizard-girl warrior, Theo noticed. The Lizardgirl's head gently nestled on the human warrior woman's shoulder, shushing and consoling her.

"There would be hope for this world yet." He thought.

The castle was tightly packed with celebrants, dancing men and women and mamono, with the smell of alcohol and meat. Outside, on the balcony, a lone woman sat in scale-mail adorned ball gown and looked outside with a glass of champagne in her hand. Her other hand held a hidden short sword under her belt.

Kristine did not want to come. She had a phobia for castles and dark places. She still remembered the sensual humiliation she had received from a coven of vampires. She sighed loudly, thinking as the blood-red wine danced in her hands, swirling gracefully inside the crystal cup.

"We are celebrating before death." She mumbled, and froze as a cool breeze blew BEHIND her, where the fires of celebration burned.

"I knew I'd find you here."

Kristine's head snapped back in a sudden rush, her hand tossing the cup and drawing her sword. No one was behind her.

"Please. You know I won't...can't...hurt you." The sound was awfully close. It was a very familiar tone.

"Show yourself." Kristine demanded. The voice sounded hurt. "Promise you won't stab me with a stake? It hurt badly last time."

The woman shook her head, sighing. "I will not stab you."

A cold, soft hand tapped her shoulder. She was next to her, appearing from gray mist. It was Mina. She had grown taller and more powerful, her fangs longer, sharper and her body more filled out. Her wings had grown to a full size, and she looked...

Adult.

"Good Evening."

Kristine slowly nodded. "You got...older."

Mina shook her head. "Actually it's because I could feed...decently. " The red knight woman simply blinked. "How so?" The vampire girl looked at the darkness of the night. "Well, some blood is worthier than the others." Her eyes were locked on Kristine's. "You know whose." Her cool lips curled to a shy smile as her hands softly held Kristine's. The human woman shook her head hesitantly and tried to pull away.

"Don't tell me nothing happened." Mina's voice was on the verge of breaking down. "I was so overjoyed when I heard you'd be returning and you ignore me..." The young vampire girl sounded so humanly hurt that Kristine relented for a moment.

"Was there nothing...that mattered?"

Kristine blinked : "What?"

"Was there nothing...special...?" She looked at Kristine as if about to cry. "When we..."

Kristine smiled bitterly. "When you had me strapped to a chair and snacked on my body?"

Mina pursed her lips. "It was for trying to kill me. Plus, you know I didn't just let you live but...kept it, pleasurable, no? Because..."

"Because...?"

The vampire girl's face became desperate as her eyes watered with pinkish tears, unable to spit it out. The woman before her sighed indulgently and smiled, extending her hand to wipe the slightly bloody tears. She whispered, lovingly, and quietly.

"Come here." She hugged her. Leathery wings wrapped her like a blanket, and she kept hugging her. "A war is coming. Maybe...maybe if our times and duties were different..."The vampire sobbed. Kristine pulled her to a darker side of the balcony.

Softly, Kristine held her mouth, and gently guided to her wrist. "All I can give is a small treat. for now..."

Mina was never happier when her fangs and heart filled with the lifeblood of her crush...as she hugged her and kept her breath.

"Shit. I need to dance, I want a drink. Ralf, do I look good?" The knight-turned-delegate ruffled his tunic again.

"Piet. For the fifth time, you are alright. Now , get friendly with the enemy. Let's find a mamono that's not too freaky or murderous." His friend was already tipsy.

"What if they eat people?"

"Shut up Piet."

"That Kris and some vampire girl making out outside?"

"Shut up Piet."

Both men timidly wandered around the guests, trying to blend in as mamono of different stripes eyed them.

"Psst." A manticore winked, holding a glass of wine. She was dressed in a cut-short dress since manticores were often protected by fur.

Ralf shuddered. The manticore made an imitation of a chicken with her arms behind him.

"Yoohoo~" Too slow. Ralf's bearded cheek felt the warm brush of a fur too late to notice a black and purple furred adorable mamono pop up out of nowhere. A Cheshire Cat was right next to him with a SHIT EATING GRIN her kind was famous of. "Bet she wants to fuck you, and you wanna fuck her back,hmm~"

"Yes-I MEAN NO" Ralf gasped. The Cheshire Cat grinned and made a thumbs up to the Manticore, and suddenly, slid between two friends.

"What do you think you are-WHA" Before the young male soldier could even answered, her confronter, the Cheshire stretched in a graceful move, and shoved both men towards waiting mamono women to fall to their arms.

"Ara ara~" The Manticore pretended surprise as the young knight fell into her arms. "Aren't you a bold strapping man. Are all Lescatian knights like this?" Her massive lionine paws were holding him tight. Ralf , in all earnestness now remembered why they are nicknamed "Meaty Man Grabbers"

"Excuse me ma-"

"Dance with me! ^_^" The Manticore pulled him out towards the center where people were busy dancing in pairs, turning around each other in synchonized moves to the music. The flute player was a Harpy of purest azure blue feathers as the violinist, a graceful light elf sang and tapped her feet as well. Two human fosterling servants were playing the bell and a bass violin.

"And two, and three...and four! Careful that's my foot!" She pulled and turned him. Her fluffy, meaty paws were so warm; they were constricting Ralf's body in lewd ways. His head felt woozy, whether it was from the booze or her smell. She smiled at him, her face and fluffy body inches away from his own, feeling the pressure building in his thighs.

"You are a very handsome, young man." Her tail was gently holding him from toppling over. "I'd love to teach you more about dancing in private..." She smiled kindly as Ralf, though a seasoned man, could not help nuzzling her floppy lionine ears, far too intoxicated by demon energy, booze and the perfume.

"Like my ears, do you? Why don't you follow me and I show you what my tail can do..."

Overcome by lust and wine, Ralf smiled and nodded. "We're going to war anyway."

"That is the spirit." She led him quietly to one of the many rooms upstairs. "Can't wait to get friendly with the ones momma fought."

Piet's problem was bigger. The Lizardwoman he had beaten once lay in his arms. She had chased him nonstop for marriage across towns. Her amber eyes gleamed in joy now as her green, scaled arms snatched the young man. The Lizardwoman's face, a young human girl's youthful face combined with just the right amount of scales lit up.

"I KNEW MY DESTINED HUSBAND WOULD NOT SPURN ME!" Bellowed the lizard-girl drunkenly, before he could clutch his ears.

"Damnit" He clutched his ears. And the audience was laughing and joking around him.

"You have chased me all across the world to marry me!"

Wait...That weren't HIS words. "But I-"

She held him tight, her joyful face closing on his lips for a kiss.

Piet, who was a virgin all his life, finally gave in, weakened by surprise. Her lips were soft, her body smelling like fresh perfume . Even her scales felt soft and ticklish. He found herself hugging her back.

"You are so bold, husband~~"

I'm not...  
"Let's consummate and make babies!" The Lizardgirl looked...drunk.

Behind her, the Cheshire Cat was grinning as she held a small vial.

"Ahem, miss, why don't we first take our time?" He smiled gently as her muscular arms held him tightly. She grinned sharp blades, showing sharp teeth and a loving, ample demeanor topped with a large bust.

"It is destined! How can you not hurry, husband?~" The mamono around them laughed harder. And some clapped and tapped on her(and his) back, until a boisterous, strong sound echoed. that belonged to a minotaur girl. with brown fur."Let's have a toast!"

"To the new husband!"  
"HUSBAND!" Claws, hands and tentacles lifted mugs.  
"May they make many babies!"  
"MAY THEY MAKE MANY BABIES!" They all lifted mugs, guzzling.

"To the husband!"  
"HUSBAN!" They were getting tipsy now, as Piet was being dragged to the rooms behind the ballroom. "Let's make babies~"

Memoirs of Slade, War Alchemist and Duke's Advisor of Temirburg:

I heard a human bard sing to an audience of mamono and man in Temirburg. He sang in Old High Ulmic, which a certain friend translated to me . The bard was a runaway from the north, where the strange invaders came. His eyes were haunted, teary, and he showed many signs of abuse and torture. Yet he sang, playing his lute :

(Rhymes may be nonexistent in Common Ulmic translation)

I live in the dark ages,  
He who laughs  
Has not yet heard  
How the world died.

Ah, what an age it is  
What little freedom is cut away again!  
For it is a kind of silence about injustice!  
And he who walks calmly across the street,  
Is he not out of reach of his friends  
In trouble?

It is true: I earn my living  
But, believe me, it is only an accident.  
Nothing that I do entitles me to eat my fill.  
By chance I was spared.

The drow told me: eat and drink. Be glad you have it!  
But how can I eat and drink  
When my food is snatched from the hungry  
And my glass of water belongs to the thirsty?  
And yet I ate and drank.

I would gladly be wise.  
The old books tell us what wisdom is:  
Avoid the strife of the world  
Live out your little time  
Fearing no one  
Using no violence  
Returning good for evil -  
Not fulfillment of desire but forgetfulness  
Passes for wisdom.  
I can do none of this:  
Indeed I live in the dark ages!

I ate my food between massacres.  
The shadow of murder lay upon my sleep.  
And when I loved, I loved with indifference.  
I looked upon nature with impatience.  
So the time passed away  
Which on earth was given me.

In my time streets led to the quicksand.  
Speech betrayed me to the slaughterer.  
There was little I could do. But without me  
The rulers would have been more secure. This was my hope.  
So the time passed away  
Which on earth was given me.

You, who shall emerge from the flood  
In which we are sinking,  
Think -  
When you speak of our weaknesses,  
Also of the dark time  
That brought them forth.

For we went, spilling blood as we can,  
In this dark war, despairing  
When there was only injustice and no resistance.

For we knew only too well:  
Even the hatred of squalor  
Makes the brow grow stern.  
Even anger against injustice  
Makes the voice grow harsh. Alas, we  
Who wished to lay the foundations of kindness  
Could not ourselves be kind.

But you, when at last it comes to pass  
That man has to fight monster,  
using dread and violence,  
I ask you monster-women,  
Do not judge us,  
Too harshly...

He asked for no money, bowed and turned and left. It was a strange sight.

Theo disappeared after convincing the Duchess, askıng for supplies and a horse cart, and some crude but servicable trader's outfit. I'm afraid that he intends to visit Lescatie itself.

"I told you, I don't need help." Theo muttered. "I have a cart full of supplies, plus centaurs will raise red flags in Lescatian territory." The centaur woman kept pestering her even as he left to see the Lescatian Emperor.

"B-but you need help! And I, being a warrior maiden of my clan, would tarnish my honor if I didn't march alongside you!" She blushed and looked down. Theo smiled kindly, knowing that this was a typical, usual cavalier attitude was a weak attempt at courting.

"I'll be fine. Besides, you'd endanger the whole world if I fail. think about that." That set her back.

"But..."

"Believe me Eszter. You are a good woman. A noble, strong centaur. Whatever you think..." He smiled bitterly. "I'll be dead in the end of it. Please. We will talk again when I return. Shouldn't take long."

"Can I at least walk with you to the border?" Eszter sounded desperate. Theo, sighed, and nodded. "By all means." She looked like a magnificent courser from waist down. Theo was not quite, a broken man as he was, feeling comfortable with centaur women. But she was, in the very least, a magnificent specimen, of rippling muscles and strong legs, shining fur and a beautiful upper body. Her armor, a smooth, silver colored scale barding gifted by Temirburg smiths just added to her beauty.

Both slowly moved towards the Lescatian border, talking of trivia, past and future. Theo's tale, and his thoughts would trouble the Magyar centaur for a long, long, time.

"Stay safe. You didn't deserve any of these." The centauride held his knee from the edge of the cart.

""No one I knew, even the black ones, deserved any of what they went through. It happens anyway; haven't found a cure against it." He gave her hand a squeeze, spurred the horses to a fast trot and did not look back. " He gave her hand a squeeze, spurred the horses to a fast trot and did not look back.

Looking back always hurt.

The evening flew like a dream. Piet's first experience, following a strong and clingy lizardgirl towards one of the conveniently placed small rooms, was heavenly.

The rooms behind the ballroom were carefully installed and furnished with pink beds and perfumed candles. Most doors were closed and from the sounds inside, the copulation of men and mamono were plenty. They slipped in an empty room and the lizardwoman locked the door.

Piet's head was swimming. What was her name? "Adela?!"

"Yes, husband?" She was dangerously grinning as her armored dress slipped off her body. The exotic body, a subtle blend between a lizardman of old and a strong, fit human one, was not too much of Piet's liking...yet, maybe the wine or the demon energy, it made his head swim.

"Fuck..." was all he could mumble.

"YES! FUCK!" She leapt at him, almost rattling his teeth when their lips met. Her soft, cool tongue slipped between his teeth as both drunken revelers slammed together. Their bodies did not feel pain, but a strong feeling of arousal and joy. Piet was starting to lose it. His hands struggled as he stripped as well, Adelawatching him passionately , already seated on her bed.

Her eyes were locked on his codpiece. "Come on~" As the leather covering started to come off, the lizardwoman's eyes gleamed as if she had found a treat. "My Husband's manhood~" Brazenly, Adela licked her lips at the sight. "Now, as I was beaten in war-craft, it's only just I pay you back in joy!" Snaking forward, she took advantage of Piet's stunned form and kissed the tip of his manhood. Her eyes shot up, locking hers with his.

"Want to know what happens next, my husband?~~"

Piet blinked.

"I swallowed swords for coin~"

She lowered her head, her soft mouth sliding and engulfing eight inches of his shaft until her lean, muscled throat bulged and her nose and lips touched his belly and balls. Piet's reaction was a squeal, and a long moan as he shuddered, his balls retracting from the sheer overload of stimulation.

Adela giggled inside her mind; preparing such a cute treat for his conquering hero was her longest preparation. Her eyes kept looking up, trying to gauge his reactions even as the lizardgirl enjoyed choking on the hot, throbbing meat pole jammed inside her throat. She knew she only had to force it a bit more in, and inch by inch, she could feel his manhood completely engulfed around her lips, inside her mouth and in the back of her throat as Piet squealed again, like a pig.

The warm, hot, sticky burst in the back of her throat tasted like heaven as she had her first adorable taste of virgin "men's spirit power". Adela moaned in heavenly joy, savoring the ripples across her body, and his shudders when Piet collapsed on the bed.

"MMph...mph...*gulp*" Adela closed her eyes, and pressed her throat against the throbbing shaft until the gushing torrent of salty male essence filled her insides. Her hands softly touched and squeezed his balls until they were shrunk from the sheer effort.

She slowly slid her mouth away from the shaft with a wet "POP".

"Piet, my love?"

"Hah..." He was almost unconscious.

"Drink your wine~ then it's time for round two. Let's make a lot of babies tonight!" She leaped on him, showering his hard, muscled chest with kisses and scratches. "A Lizardgirl can mate 10 times a day when in heat~"

"Allfather help me..." He gasped.

"He better~~"

She lifted her butt, and slowly slid over his still erect cock with her soft vaginal walls engulfing his manhood. Softly, her tail rubbed his knees, consoling him as his overstimulated cock made the poor man make an "o" face. She tenderly lifted his upper body and laid it on the bed.

"Let me handle this, husban~~" She giggled as he moaned when she lowered herself on him, engulfing his cock with her flexible, eager pussy.

"I'm no surgeon, no wizard. All I can do is to do vigil for the ex-slaves of these...drow."

Vierna's ebony skin wandered over the sobbing girl's face. Her teeth were chattering... As were Vierna's : from anger. Her assistant, a young goblin with a wizard hat two sizes too large, was taking notes. "Slave thirty-four asks for mercy, Val-"

"No!" Vierna shouted at her, almost crying. "You have a name. Everyone has a name, even the lowliest slaves. Look at me. Look!" She held the girl's face. "The monsters are gone. You are you. You have a name. You are SOMEONE. Even lowliest servants are people."

"Find this human's family. And send her there. I... I can't handle this." Vierna sighed, eyes full of tears. "To think they could be our relatives..." Her heart was heavy: She had levied this girl a year ago as a maid, who promptly disappeared until Eszter's centauride guerilla delivered her as a broken shell of a girl. Vierna cried, and cried herself hoarse.

Someone under her charge was taken from her, broken and spat out. Her heart burned with holy rage. "You hurt MINE..." She repeated, over and over, into the evening air, northwards. "I failed to take care of her. I failed."

Yet the invaders were not so different from mamono 3 decades prior. That was something that not even Vierna could confess. They also had fantastical combat abilities, and obsessions and strange discrepancies. Some sported cat ears, some were clearly interbred with other "mamono" species and their strange, innocent demeanor even in face of thousands of beastly treated slaves around them, especially eating meals of human flesh.

At least the Dokkalvar of this world never pretended to be cuddly bunnies with cannibalistic tendencies and dissonant values. She was a perfectionist, in mental and physical consistency, clear and stable. Vierna clenched her teeth, remembering her father's heritage. She would not give her hard-earned, stylish, clean and orderly duchy to a bunch of horror freaks!

She remembered the day she sat at her father's lap. Her father smelled of tobacco and lotion, he had strong, thick arms Vierna could lean and sleep on. He said he was an exiled ruler, a man of "chivalry".

She remembered that her mother, though a dark elf and a dominant one, treated him with healthy respect in public. Of course in bed...Vierna smiled to herself. She rutted on him like a beast, restraining him and straddling his strong body, engulfing his manhood with her strong thighs and litle body as if it was nothing. Sadly she was the only daughter of the family until he passed away at the age of 88. Her mother migrated deep, westwards, taking her own harem of servants and half of family fortune.

Vierna never heard from her again until she turned up assassinated. Someone, someone with black fur had snuck inside and slaughtered everyone. Vierna had inherited the place: she sold it, and everything inside except the servants, and took all of them to the border to snatch Temirburg when the nearest town to it was overflowing with single, bored monstergirls.

It was the first organized Mamono conquest after Megiddo, and Vierna decided to make the best of it, as it's notoriously hard to organize Mamono into an army except centaurs, and centaurs did not hate or wage war against humanity. The Mamono Reik had very, very few centaurs willing to work for them due to treatment of humans they felt kinship to.

She remembered the civil war split in Dokkalvar society, and the miraculous victory of those that loved rather than possessed for possession's sake. Her mother's faction cared for her property, human or mamono.

And now, all her dreams of a unified duchy with no (overtly or trauma-wise) raped men was endangered, again.

"This ends here, in my city. They will not take MY people, hurt MY servants, and despoil MY world." Vierna looked down at the battlements where a few human workers still polished the stones and refilled torches. Her heart warmed at their sight, and their deferent nods and smiles at her. She loved them; smiling and waving back. She did not know why, but she felt a warm, engulfing possession in her heart, which was followed by tears forming in her eyes. "These people are mine."

"I will not let them hurt my servants, children and beloved underlings as long as I am alive." She mumbled, looking down with tears. When one of her favorite maids, a light elf that surrendered to her a decade ago in a skirmish, arrived to bring her nightcap, some wine and a pipe with opium, she held her arm tenderly.

"Stay, Lauriel." She softly told her. "Talk to me." Lauriel softly blinked, nodded and sat next to her.

"Have I wronged you, mistress?" Vierna shook her head. She softly caressed her pointy, white ears. Lauriel kept looking at her.

"No, dear."

The light elf was a head shorter than her, younger and shy, of pure silvery hair and brightest blue eyes. She had captured her in a small skirmish after Megiddo, when Mamono unity was shattered, and clan fought clan after Army of Man.

"How did you fall in our traps anyway, years ago?" Vierna asked her over a mutual cup of wine.

Having lost everything in war, she was a lone survivor who had eventually stumbled on Vierna's camp chasing a deer. Elves were mostly vegetarian. She had triggered a snare, yelping as the camp inhabitants woke with a start: Vierna's cousins fleeing the carnage after a human boy ripped apart and ate their God's blood.

"What do we do with her?" Vierna's cousin had asked. "Could fetch a pretty price back in the marketplace." She was grinning, savoring the young elf waif's terror. Her cousin was always a bully: Vierna looked at her hungry frame, and huge, teary eyes, struggling under gag and binds. She felt some warm kinship to the orphan, who was by all means a prey in a chaotic world. Besides, light/dark skinned elven split was by all means a cultural issue. Plus, her bedroll was awfully cold.

"I'll keep her. My mother's last cottage near Temirburg still stands, I could use a maid, she could use a home. It's not that she has got anyone to ransom or flee to."

Hastily, the gagged light elf girl nodded. Vierna gently ungagged, lifted her and took her to her tent.

"Let's talk this over a meal. You like rabbit?"  
"Um...can you untie me?" The girl's voice was shaky.  
"No~ you look cute in it~ Besides, I'll feed you by hand...You don't mind sharing my bedroll, do you?"  
"No...it's alright."  
"That's the spirit~"

The other dark elves rolled their eyes and laughed. It's not that perverted habits couldn't be applied for a bit of fun to both sides even in war...

"Answer me without hesitation." Vierna adjusted her governorial suit and ordered her.

"I haven't mistreated, beat you or hurt you, have I?" Lauriel shook her head quietly.

"If you feel trapped and in pain, you can leave as you like." Her mistress' voice was earnest. "I have freed you." She extended a hand to unlock the leather collar around the elf's throat, gently unlocking the collar and taking it off.

"I'll stay. Where do I have to go anyway?" Lauriel stated matter-of-factly. She was a quiet, reserved girl who had lost everything in the war.

Vierna smiled. "Since you want to stay anyway...how about you contribute to my household?" Seeing her maid's eyes squint in lack of comprehension, she added. "Some human boys are here cute~" Before she could retort, Vierna pressed on. "I know you are sighing at night... It's not that I can't hear the gasps and stirring,dear. I want to see you smile. I want to see you happy."

"You want me to smile?" Lauriel asked in all her young, big,blue eyed earnestness. Vierna nodded. A smile slowly spread on the always depressed elf-girl's lips.

Her smile made Vierna'sheart melt, filling her with determination of what she must defend. She hugged her tightly, her perfume and smell of her maid clothes filling her arms.

"I'm going to let this girl marry." She thought. "I will watch her belly swell with children. I will buy her baby booties. I will be at her side in her labors. I will see her suckle her elf babies. I will play with her children. We will live, love and procreate, and make our hearth a sun of joy. And I will defend this hearth to the death."

"This is MY WORLD. You will not take this away from me." She gazed north, where smokestacks could be seen in the horizon.

She gazed at her daughters, conceived by magic and sleeping with their tired mother. "For our children." She contemplated millions of mamono and men, cradling their babes at night from the horrors approaching.

Vierna would be the paladin defender her father had dreamt of conceiving; even though her species could only give birth to her own, and not to human boys.

She sent for a messenger Harpy; a young girl with feathery bird limbs landed on her balcony within the hour. She tossed her a satchel full of small letters.

"Send this missive to every mamono county in the west. Give copies to your sisters."

"Give every mamono arms. Give every human arms that wants it, offer amnesty to bandits, criminals and murderers. They are evil, but they are at least OUR evil. Send a military alliance offer to every authority you find. Everyone that tinkers is considered drafted to building snares and traps and those Lescatian huge bows..."

"Ballistae." The Harpy chimed in. Vierna nodded. "Whatever."

"We are going to war. The humans are coming in to help us; Theo will make sure of it. Else we will end up in beastly slave markets en masse, or worse, on the menu of grognard beasts."

The Harpy girl flashed a salute. "Yes ma'am!", bent, and leapt from the walls, starting to fly like mad towards the horizon.

As her messenger left, Vierna softly pulled Lauriel towards her. She had closed her eyes and surrendered to her arms as Vierna gave her a fierce, long kiss; light and dark elf hugging each other on the balcony.

As Lauriel's soft, sweet tongue tickled her tongue, Vierna pulled her closer, tighter, moaning on her soft , lovely face.

"Mistress...your wife..." Lauriel gasped on her face, smiling apologetically.

"She understands. Now come here. I always wanted to taste a light elf's rosegarden... Unless you don't want...?" The dark elf grinned.

Lauriel , usually shy, smiled and extended a white leg to rub on the dark elf's coal black thigh. "Teach me."

"I will take my time."

The cart approached Lescatie without any problems... now the struggle was for the keeps...As Theo adjusted his clothes and slowly drove his cart through the city-fortress' gates, he was challenged by a large, blond man wearing a large red-painted platemail and bearing a strange, gleaming halberd.

"Halt! HERETIC!"

Well...fuck...

Memoirs of Slade, War Alchemist and Governor of Temirburg.

Governor Vierna abdicated her position and turned over the city to me. After what happened last week, she needed to rest and recuperate from the trauma. I could barely write after days of paperwork to put defense logistics in order.

A small party of the strange invaders struck Temirburg in the middle of the night, attempting to carry off the population into slavery. Vierna spent days riding and hunting down every last invader until her own heritage was preserved, and people were rescued. It was a sight to see her leap and somersault over the buildings and chase down every last attacker, slicing and shooting in a frenzy until none was left alive.

What little "drow" survived and surrendered afterwards, Vierna shocked her allies by beheading them on the spot, with quick flashing moves from her saber silencing any pleas. When questioned by her dark elf allies, asking:

"Couldn't they be imprisoned, put to work or enslaved?" Vierna showed them some traumatized captives saved from their clutches, and ordered:

"Kill every last of them. They hurt MY children."

The defenders needed to hear no more. The city was full of gibbets, screams and funeral pyres that night.

The Governor watched each and every death with a bloodthirsty satisfaction unseen that day. Her servants were afraid of her for days as the lady stomped furiously across the palace.

Oh, I'm also getting married. With a very rare lady, a Blue Oni.

A little joy before our horrible deaths is a rare repast indeed. Especially after the last night. This is how it happened...

It was a decadent evening in the castle, again. A pink sign was hung at the door. "Participants are welcome.", carved from a nice wooden plank. Peasants still loyal to Allfather's covenant crossed themselves, "Tsk'ed"and shook their heads.

The halls of the castle echoed with sighs, moans and giggles, as well as sounds of flesh slapping on flesh. The "interrogation rooms" massage beds were full with the former Dukeguard prisoner women getting their oil massages after a hard day's construction work (many elected to stay as paid workers). The masseuse mamono were giving each and everyone special attention with a complete body massage, some responding back in a heavenly atmosphere of love.

The dungeons had a former Dukesguard knight in their underwear on rack...to be tickled and teased. She was the most stubborn one not to ask for mercy for years. And Dark Elves hate strong-headed prisoners who did not at least ask for mercy or admit defeat once.

Luckily, Vierna was creative and merciful...and perverted. Crank-operated ticklers, feathers and nimble hands of her subordinated had made the most stubborn prisoner laugh to euphoria in mere days. The knight woman struggled, shook her restraints, screamed, laughed, and laughed endlessly until she was purple from lack of breath.

Nonstop, for days, except to be fed potions and water, she would be tickled in every sensitive area. First day, she would smirk and shrug, uncomfortably squirming.

Second day she was a broken, laughing wreck.

"I GIVE UP! I GIVE UP!" She breathlessly gasped, teary eyed. Her interrogrator, a grinning Dark Elf officer, slowed down. "Had enough yet, human?" The knight nodded. "I give up." She giggled, catching her breath. Sniffling, she nodded. "I give up, please stop..."

"Please stop what?" The dark elf guard proceeded to jab and tickle her naked sides and soles furiously...

"HAHAHAHAHA! PLEASE STOP MISTRESS!"

"Mistress?" Her interrogator grinned from ear to ear. "I was expecting "please stop tickling". Why do you call me mistress? Hmm?" She leant to nibble on the human woman's ear. "You want to be my slave? Hmm?" She started blowing on the wet, licked ear to make her victim shudder in delight. "Well, do you?"

"No!" The woman weakly protested. The Dark Elf interrogator smiled. "Pity. We take good care of our own. Someone like you would be as valuable as an expensive house...imagine you in all your glory, naked, to see which one of us would bid on you to keep you all for herself...thousands of gold pieces I'd say...thousands..." She kept whispering dark promises and lewd suggestions in her ear. "You'd never have to worry about your life...your price delivered to next of kin...you'd be constantly serve us day and night knowing nothing but pleasure..." She gave the shuddering human woman's ear another lick. "Pleasing and working... and giving us sons and daughters to play with..."

"N-no..." She protested less, but still with a resolve.

"Really?" Her tormentor stopped with a pout. "So sad."

Her interrogators laughed along as they stopped the tickle torture, hugging and kissing the lovely knight's well-toned body. "That's a good girl though~ Promise you will swear allegiance to Governor Vierna? To be her faithful soldier and protect your former liege, her wife?"

"Please...stop...hah...yes...can you take off the restraints?" She gasped, still laughing. "Please...hahhahahaha!" She shuddered from laughter and coughing.

"No ~~" Her protests were stopped by a soft tongue kiss. "The repentant prisoner will be restrained until Governess Vierna will accept her surrender...hahahaha!" They kept tickling her until each participant laughed with joy, and tickles turned to hugs and kisses.

Eventually all of them save for one left, and that one sat by her to keep her company until she'd be released, to establish some rapport, bottlefeed her water, and generally having fun with her body.

Upstairs, the Governor's bed was opulent, decadent and as lovely as ever. It was a king-sized bed: if the king would be an ancient dragon. Wine bottles, lubricants, assorted sexual toys, saucy books ,opium pipes and many, many more consumer goods littered the room. No one asked what the statue with the half-meter blue horse dildo in the corner was for. No one touched it.

That was the price of her rulership. Vierna taxed the population heavily, as well as initiating corveé, a weekly labor tax for her decadent consumer goods. Her servants, a Tanuki and a Blue Oni loved to make humans produce her luxuries and many more drugs for export.

That, combined with most of her prisoners sampling her delights, provided her many, many joyful nights.

Around her, her servants were having an orgy. Vierna herself had taken a young boy to bed in their midst, just barely an adult, teaching him the joys of flesh.

The boy's instant reaction to the scene before him was funny for her. He was bringing a bottle of wine when he saw an entire cadre of men, women and monstergirls entangled in a decadent scene of sex.

He nearly dropped the bottle until naked Vierna beckoned to him. He was out of his clothes and in her arms before he his mind has registered. Her laughter and first kisses were the sweetest thing he had tasted, as well as her hard, lean body, her small breasts and gloriously silky skin, tasting of berries and cream at his first awkward kiss, inexperienced lips touching a purple-black pair of her own.

He had barely realized he was standing naked, in front of a throng of monstergirls engaged in an orgy. Falling forward, he sighed and gasped, falling into the bigger, taller and stronger dark elf's arms. Her chuckle made his stomach

"Tell me boy...ungh! How...does it feel...?hah..." Vierna gasped , legs splayed open as a late comer to the party thrusted softly inside her. The dark elf giggled, enjoying the boy's sweaty, ecstatic expression. The poor lad was in high heavens, copulating with her dark governess in her own bed, his freshly awakened manhood tasting the finest delight: her dark elven thighs with his first thrust into feminine flesh.

"It's...heavenly...mistress!" He gritted his teeth as his thrusts became more and more erratic. Groaning and gasping, he shuddered as Vierna felt the warm gush inside her womb.

Vierna bit her lips and screamed, hugging his waist; half from pleasure, half from acting. The lad was a premature ejaculator, and not quite well endowed. It still would not do to traumatize him; she knew men were turning to hurt, poor kids when insulted about this. Plus it was pleasant, though not the best lay. Still, virgin boys were sweet, and taking their virginities was a treat in itself. It was a good entrance to his 18th year.

He was one of the poorer families' taxed children and had worked himself quite hard at seeing beautiful mamono maids greeting him warmly. It would be unfair to reward the tired lad with the body of the greatest mamono he would enjoy: Herself. He nearly fainted when she beckoned him towards the bedchamber where half of the castle was in an orgy. "Come here little moth, I have a treat for you~"

Still she didn't want to corrupt him that much. After sampling his seed and loins, she had made plans.

Already she made plans to marry him off to her maid Lauriel. Both would compliment each other so well, hopefully the elf daughters would inherit their father's green eyes, and both of their gentle, hardworking, loving temperament.

Smiling, she hugged him and lay him on her chest."Well? How was your first time?" She tenderly stroked his hair and smiled kindly. The boy took minutes to recover, and then he could only gasp weakly to let out small sounds...

"It's the best thing...mistress..." He mewled and tried to catch his breath.

Vierna laughed sweetly, hugging his young, slender frame with her arms. "This is a taste of what you'll have under my wing, sweetie. My clan has one unspoken rule:good humans get rewards."

"Yes mistress." He nuzzled her chest, sighing and breathing gently.

"Sleep..." She slowly slid him next to sleeping Lauriel and made them snuggle as he closed his eyes. Taking a deep whiff from her pipe, she absentmindedly watched her maids and servants passionately make love around her. The two human maids she had levied from that village had quite turned out to be little minxes once shedding their prudishness. Each was tenderly kissing, sucking and licking whatever was put in front of them. Vierna had enjoyed each one's mouths in every part of her body. Not wishing to be greedy, she let both maids loose on the servants with love potions, starting the scene around her.

Both girls had surrounded a Lamia maid, and slowly, and sensually licking and kissing every scale on her body. One suckled her breasts, and another had her tongue wandering on her waist as the overwhelmed Lamia moaned and squirmed at their attention. She cried in pleasure when one of the maids rubbed the tip of her tail sensually. The maid rubbing her tail shuddered as well as one of the male servants slapped her buttocks and started plunging into her hairless pussy just when she was focused on pleasuring the Naga. The little minx' squeals were cut short when the Naga herself playfully stuck her tail into her mouth, which she gleefully started sucking like a cock as the naga laughed and reminded her not to bite. In return, the other maid lifted her hips and sat on the Naga woman's face, shuddering as the Naga's long tongue started teasing both her holes, eventually softly entering the maid's puckered asshole, with care not to hurt her.

The night was hot and pleasurable. Even her bedroom guards were making out with the male servants, a minotaur guard softly fellating one of her servants with her nimble tongue as the salamander guard humped another male servant with his back against the wall.. She had ordered everyone to feel joy and discharge lust.

"Anyone have personal issues here, kiss, make love and make up. That's an order."

The tiring day was always followed by nights of pleasures in a hot bedchamber. No servant was turned away if they came in.

Her wife understood. After all, it was a mix of political, and emotional marriage. Although they both had a political arrangement, her wife could not help but sometimes respond to her advances. Vierna's happiest moment was when she agreed to a conception spell, and even let her sleep in the same bed. From then, it slowly bloomed into a relationship of love, as love between women came a bit awkwardly to devout Lescatians.

But, Vierna knew something was between them. The difficulty was in making humans accept such changes honestly, particularly about religion and sex. Still, Vierna had promised to take care of her all her life if she'd say yes.

Yawning, she put her hands up as a frame and imagine sleeping Auriel and Tomas in a single picture. They'd make a lovely couple, Auriel resting, her white pointy ears pink from the heat, sitting with her pregnant belly as Tomas worked hard to deliver her cravings and her mistress' drinks.

"Doesn't hurt to dream of a little joy..."

But then, nothing lasted forever.

An hour later, when all servants, after hours of debauchery, were piled asleep, Vierna stood up , slid off the bed and put on a skimpy cotton towel around her waist, smoking her pipe. Breasts dangling in the cool night air, she took a small stroll to take in the night air with a cup of strong coffee. Where did Auriel go to? Probably the bathrooms...She followed the smell of sex and sweet elven sweat.

A small sound of breaking glass made her long, black ears twitch. It was followed by a muffled moan.

Dark Elves, despite looking debauched and sybaritic, were also perfectionists, especially after the hateful massacres of humanity after Megiddo. Vierna's heartbeats kicked up several notches, her palms dried, and her mouth felt cold.

She dashed into the armory to grab her battledress and weapons, sliding like a black cat. Mumbling a syllable, she felt the magical soft leather suit slide around her. Good enough for now. Slowly stalking across the marble floor, she gently pushed a door open to see what the sound was.

Two of the strange looking "drow" were tying up her maids, laughing and joking to each other quietly about how these would be broken in.

"Goddess, this place is so rich. When we kick the humie's butts we'll be rich when we return!"

"One big moon is really amazing you know..."

Her heart wrenched. She had seen what they were capable of, and how they would "break in" their captives, much like the Black Brigade members before Megiddo. Hissing in rage, she dove forward ,bringing her saber in a wide arc. As if on instinct, her left hand snapped up, releasing a crossbow dart on the invader that had the back of her head turned.

None of the strange women even had a chance to scream as they collapsed, one with a bolt in her brain and another cleanly beheaded as the sabre cleaved her throat.

Vierna started untying the terrified, hogtied women. One of them gasped after being ungagged. "They took my daughters! Please! Help them!"

There she was: Auriel, gasping with a bloody mouth. She was alive, but was in pain, shot by a crossbow bolt, twitching near death.

Vierna let out an ear splitting shriek full of rage and agony, enough to wake the dead. The guards, screams and shattering glasses and falling furniture kicked the castle into a frenzy.

"WE ARE UNDER ATTACK!"

Her head turned back...

Just to spot two more sneaking behind her, about to stab her to death. Vierna turned in a rage, to see that wasn't even necessary. Both Drow shrieked in mid-air as they flew out of the window, bodies already shattered by giant claws. The owner of said claws, Vierna's elite Ushi-Oni guard nodded at her and entered the room as they plummeted to their deaths with a sickening crunch.

"What do we do ma'am?" The mamono flashed a salute with one claw.

"KILL. EVERY LAST ONE." Her teeth were grinding like millstones, hands shaking as she hugged the wounded elf girl. She screamed again, enough to wake the dead.

"YOU HURT MINE, YOU BASTARDS!"

"Get me Slade. Tell him to open up the laboratory!" Vierna started kicking an ornate door which had the sign "Alchemist Slade" repeatedly.

"WAKE THE FUCK UP! THE REST OF YOU! KEEP AURIEL ALIVE!"

I never was woken up harshly enough for a heart attack. I had thought the screaming demon in my dream was Vierna, asking where the healing potions were hidden.

Within minutes, a crescendo of bells, shouts and harpy screams woke the city up. The invaders had snuck inside the city and even started carrying off entire households and families with lassos and carts, quickly silencing any cries of protests with whips and threats to kill children.

They would find out how wrong they would be.

When the invaders tried to flee with their stolen flesh and lives, they were greeted with a keening flood of warcries. Feet, claws and hooves, monstergirls and men descended on the invaders with a savage fury.

"GIVE ME BACK MY CHILDREN!" It was Vierna, wearing her family heirloom adamantite armor, shaking the city windows with a magically amplified scream. Her arms worked furiously at the crank of an automatic, gas powered crossbow Slade had designed, raining a staccato of flaming bolts on the slaving monsters at full gallop.

Her warhorse, grown and fed with magical fodder and drilled to run fast was fitted with retractable scythes; currently open and mowing down scores of orkoids and drow. The invaders, terrified by the screaming swarms of harpies, a crazed dark elf general raining bolts on them and shouts and mamono militia pouring out of every household, turned back and ran...

Only to be pursued by galloping centaur and Ushi Onis and Red Onis running towards them with thundering screams, Harpies that shrieked with unrestrained fury tore apart faces and eyes, and many, many other strange monster girls that rose up to defend their homes and livelihoods barely earned a decade ago under a tense peace.

The otherworlders were mowed down to the last one. The defenders didn't even bother raping the males for exotic otherworldly essence.

"Too good to last." Theo thought, wrapped in antimagic chains and being led at spearpoint towards the dungeons. "Fucking Lescatie Zealots."

The cities were magnificent. The people were productive, the life disciplined. But Lescatians were assholes. The moment Theo was driving the cart through the gates, a necklace on the gate guards started buzzing. The moment one of the guards shouted "HERETIC!" he was showered by holy water and beaten to an inch of his life by clubs.

That bracelet didn't work for shit, but then, guards were male.

Then he was lifted and dragged to the Inquisition dungeons. It was a trip of his lifetime. The most interesting detail was that his face was known, and many looked at him with admiration. Fair enough: he had dealt a horrific blow to the human slave trade and killed humanity's greatest enemy as a young child.

However, he noticed some people were, despite protests of the guards, approaching him, getting past the guards, touching his head, or rubbing their hands on his skin. People knew otherwise.

"God bless you lad."

"He killed the Demon King!"

"Allfather bless you son." An elderly villager ruffled his hair before being pulled away.

"Let me! I'm sick, he is a saint!" A leprous farmer tried to touch him, only to be shooed away.

Theo understood. The people knew and loved him, though he was grateful to not to touch the leprous farmer.

The soft singing from a nearby temple was soothing his soul as he kept walking. Throngs of peasants tried to touch him, get his "blessing", some saying they named their children after him. The mob went on and on, difficulty for the guards rising every moment they walked through the streets, the noises becoming louder and louder.

"HE IS INNOCENT!"

"HE IS SENT BY ALLFATHER! FREE HIM!"

Rows, and rows of orderly shops, smithies and clean, serene streets felt like heaven. Until he was dragged inside a red building, taken inside and downstairs.

They tossed him to a cell, as the mob outside started shouting, chanting and tried to push the guards to get him out as he smiled to himself. Appreciation was a balm for even the most uncaring soul.

He was unceremoniously dumped to a large chair with three nuns wielding holy water aspergillums and shock batons around him.

"Sister Agatha." He mumbled. "Nice to see you again."

The nun before her was a woman in her mid 50's, frail looking but dry and bitter. Her mien was as bitter as ever. She was the Headmistress of the St. Hedwig college: the only academy for orphans in Lescatie. The academy was a strictly military boarding school taking in the kids and turning them into war machines and war wizards.

The lessons were strict, brutal and merciless, producing paladins that mowed down the Demon King's armies. And the nuns had ways to punish sexual ill discipline, masturbation and worst of all, delving into blood magic. Theo's capture after committing a small massacre under demonicinfluence was never, ever, forgotten.

Theo was basically another well-cared for slave. Again.

"Head Inquisitor Agatha now." She growled. "Have you come to ask for absolution, Kinslayer?" Her face was dark and brooding. Theo smiled.

"What sins, sister? What sins have you conjured to make me feel guil-YEAAAAAAAAOOOWWWW!" He squeaked as electrobatons slammed his face.

"-the FUCK!" Another blow for cursing.

"You will be silent and only answer our questions." Agatha glared. "You have no rights to protest, bastard kinslayer."

Theo's cocky grin was replaced by a mask of sheer rage. His voice suddenly turned dark and loud enough to scare even when restrained.

"You call me bastard again, once, just once, and I will impale you ass first on the Stake of Martyrs outside, bitch."

Not even the guards moved.

"I am Theophilos, from Ellas Islands. Raid. I was taken with my family. Thomas, my father died in Mamono iron mines. Maria, my mother died from grief. My sister was given as a servant, and died soon, though peacefully and loved by her host family, from sorrow.

I used the power which was denied to your Lescatie to break free and took my revenge. You say one, ONE word to dishonor their memory, you DRIED UP CUNT, and I will eat your flesh and blood after I AM DONE ROASTING YOUR HEADLESS THROATFUCKED CORPSE ALIVE!"

His final scream, spewing spittle across the room shook the windows as his chains creaked. The silence went for minutes.

And for one moment, one brief moment, Sister Agatha's face relented...Her eyes softened...

"It was not proper of me to address you as such. Neither of you to address me."

Theo shuddered, and sighed, his eyes teary "Heh.". Agatha went on:

"Still, we need to thoroughly investigate why you are here. We need to question you."

"Fair enough. The chai-"  
"We will change them with cuffs. Blood Magic."

His restraints were quietly changed without fuss. "The Theocrat himself will be visiting you, so please, Theo, please. Just be civil." Agatha asked him with as much normalcy she could muster. Theo nodded, waiting for the heavy footsteps.

As minuted passed, battle-nuns looked at him with a sense of interest; only to be silenced by a glare from Agatha. Eventually, the storm of guards and scribes confirmed that hewould meet the Theocrat.

The Theocrat, by all means, was an elderly, kind man with gentle eyes just as he remembered years ago. He looked particularly saddened by his treatment as he drew a chair to sit next to him.

"Good evening, Theophilos." He smiled. "I see that my zealous children have been a bit...overbearing on your behalf. I am sorry for that."

"Mhm" Theo nodded. "Yes. What do you want, sir? Last time I was sent to blow up in the Reiksmacht's face" That was the height of the decency he could muster despite.

"I want you to face your fate, son. Nothing else." He kept a low, fatherly voice.

"That fate being?" He tilted his head.

"Your death." His gaze was a broken window to his soul. Theo could see agony inside. His own. "So? It's an execution then?" Keeping a cold, soulless face.

"No. You know what you have to do." The old man's face turned sadder than ever. "Oh don't fret. The Inquisition has been tracking you all your life. Haven't you realized?"

A woman entering the room on high heels revealed everything. Her face had an apologetic smile that made Theo's blood boil.

"You...that...creature from the..." Theo growled.

"Yes. I'm sorry." She smiled, showing sharp clean teeth and a small, spade-like tail. Theo's mind clicked like a puzzle: The police woman at Mamono Empire who wanted her dead. The apathy, her heartless, foul demeanor.

"Billie." He smirked. "You wanted me dead so you could use me as a doomsday weapon over the Mamono Empire, correct?"

The woman shrugged.

"I'd never think the Inquisition would use mamono, how come?" Theo turned to the Theocrat, Ulrich. The old man looked at Billie sympathetically.

"She was a human peasant repeatedly violated by succubi, Theo. Even though she is tainted, her heart is with the Allfather, Theo. Unlike you..." He frowned. "You killed your kin, fine. I absolve you. You were beaten and chained and you were abused, minor, so you can be free of this sin. But..."

"My son, you drank blood and ate the Mamono Devil's heart. What does that make you? A vampire? A beast?" He raised his eyebrows, sighing.

"A survivor, sir."

Ulrich nodded thoughtfully.

"May well be, son. May well be. But I must ask you. You carry the blood of a Maou in your body. Is your soul still pure? Are you even human?"

Agatha tensed as if she was going to kill him.

Theo looked up at the ceiling, the stone construction of the building. He sighed.

"If I am not, may Allfather put me there; and if I am, may He so keep me."

Silence.

"Do you know why I have come to meet you personally, as the man that keeps kings and dukes from killing each other?" Ulrich smiled. Theo smiled back with glowing eyes.

"I can make a guess. You mobilized the army under a "crusade", like the one 10 years ago."

That one moment, his heart lightened. He had, at least, made one correct move to ride to Lescatie. Ulrich the Theocrat laughed heartily.

"You think you are the center of the world, son? You think only you were the one that made decisions?! Son, son, this is hubris. The whole world was on the move these ten years. While you slept in a hill, we had entire cities lost and enslaved never to return." He sighed. "And fought sieges and wars in secret."

"A Theocratic Bull for a crusade to attack the Northern Portal I had signed years ago. Now the army is outside the city, waiting. YOU were destined to come here, not to lead, but to rouse it into action. As much as I hate to admit...You are a sign of hope for humanity."

"A Blood Magic wielding freak." Agatha smirked.

"Yup. And I ate Maou's heart and fornicated with beastgirls for years. What are you going to do about it?" Theo laughed with a clear voice to goad the elderly nun. She growled.

It was the grace of the universe that the Theocrat simply sighed, shrugged and made his judgement. "You are driven, Theo, insane and driven, focused and vengeful. I cannot make you repent. Only Allfather himself can."

He looked at Theo with a face of pity and mercy:

"You will be teleported to a wizard's tower an hour away from the army, set for emergency escapes for nobility. I can do nothing else for you."

Theo chuckled.

"That's it?"  
"That's it." He nodded. It was strange, and almost surreal as if he was sliding into a hellish scenario of death and war.

"So why capture me? Why all this?" Theo blinked confusedly. He wanted to understand why he was being prodded that harshly only to be sent away with an army. The Theocrat's dark stare explained as much:

"Swear on one condition. You WILL sacrifice yourself, you WILL unleash that dark demon's blood up north so that the evil that visits the realm gets his due."

Theo stood up, ignoring the weapons and the shouts.

"I do, Theocrat Ulrich. With all my heart, and on my dead family's blood under Mamono boots."

Ulrich nodded sagely. "Very well. Sister Agatha, do the incantation." The elderly nun shot a dark look at Theo before scraping a small gemstone on a diagram. Soon the room was humming with energies.

Yet, like all smooth-running events in Theo's tormented existence, it did not last.

Just that moment, the entire dungeon was shaken with an earthquake, as well as disgusting smell of death. Theo smelled death, as well as terrifying screams, only to stare down the axe wielded by Inquisitor Agatha. "That's his doing! He drew the portals to the hellish realms on our heads!"

Her axe was stopped by a gnarled, old hand. "No, sister. He was followed. Let him go to his death...that's how it must happen."

Theo blinked incredulously. The Head Inquisitor had unshackled him. "Go. Go to your death, sacrifical lamb."

He jumped to the portal without a second thought as the battering ram hit the castle gate. The Arcana portal shut with a sigh, signaling the start of the siege.

"You asked for this, Hume scum. I could have spared your citizens as slaves..." A loud, feminine voice echoed. "But you die..." The voice finished.

The nuns and knights of the Inquisition dashed upstairs and stood in a half circle before the gate.

Their leader, an elderly man in full plate armor, opened a small book and started praying as Theocrat Ulrich, in all his elderly stature, gently started to signal for a prayer chorus. He was old, he was frail. He would die anyway. It was going to be for a good cause at least, after seeing so much corruption and evil. One breath later, he started to recite softly:

Crucem sanctam subiit,  
qui infernum confregit,  
accinctus est potentia,  
surrexit die tertia..

Lapidem quem reprobaverunt  
aedeficantes factus est  
caput anguli, Alleluia

"AMEN." The knights drew their swords in one fluid motion. The nuns brought aspergillums full of sacred water and started sprinkling it on the gate, chanting softly in Frankish.

"...and Prophet Lescat went into the desert for 40 days, resisting the temptation of the succubus..."

The archers nocked their arrows.

"...he fasted for 40 days, to protect his celibacy..."  
"...he prayed for 40 days, to be delivered from evil..."  
"...40 times 40 leagues he traveled, thrice around the world to preach the gospel to every creature, man or monster..."  
"...for a brighter world..."  
"...SO BE IT..." The nuns started chanting protective wards.

Cruel laughter and feminine cackles could be heard behind the gate.

"For he promised everlasting life to the faithful, life after death! Stand fast now, for our children! For this world! For Lescatie!" Everyone concentrated on the gate.

"DEUS LO VULT! DEUS LO VULT!"

The gate hinges exploded.

The attackers burst from the shattered gate like maggots out of an exploding corpse, dark-skinned, mutated humanoids with whips, torches and chains. The Humans of Lescatie met their claws with a steely resolve that would be written in epic books as sword met claw, and human crushed drow and monster alike under a religious fury. But it was not enough. No books hold defeats like these.

There were no survivors that night.

Theo's world spun, as if he was falling down a maelstrom...

...to fall down to a scene of massacre where screaming human refugees and children begged for mercy before a bunch of drow invaders, landing on a pile of discarded weapons the captors had stashed before deciding to party.

Apparently the tower was a refugee sanctuary where the invaders decided to butcher and rape before dragging the survivors back to slave pits of the north.

"Oh that's a belated birthday present!"

He didn't care whether they understood or not from their bewildered faces. Screaming in renewed vigor, his hands glowed with the promise of fresh blood. The drow in front of him returned just in time to see one of their own swords to split open her head. Waving his left hand, he drew her blood and screamed, sending it in an ignited wave of fire to roast his enemies.

Within moments, the terrified women and children who expected rape and slavery saw a terrifying figure erupt from the burning pile. Out emerged a hateful, tired grin of a man who had seen too much and had enough.

"Everybody alright?" Their fearful, teary nods spoke volumes.

"Follow me." He kicked open the door. "And don't protest."

Dragging the human refugees, Theo led them to a trail of people several streets away.

"Run, and don't look back."

A child's scream for his daddy made him sigh. "Kid. I'll handle it. NOW. RUN." He knew the child would never see his father again. Like him. Like many more would.

Behind them, an advancing, bannered horde of otherworldly drow and other creatures was everything the refugees needed to grab their screaming children and run towards the trail of torches showing refugees fleeing the city.

Between them, at a space roughly a thousand feet apart, only he was present.

"Come at me." He sighed, stretching his limbs and chanting quietly for a spell to block any arrows that would end his bravado. "Come at me."

"FIGHT ME!"

The figures approached. They were almost upon him as less than three hundred feet.

"Fight me. I've had this shit up to my eyeballs. FIGHT ME!"

Some of the figures started breaking ranks and running towards him, their tiny crossbow bolts stopped cold by a canopy of air and water.

"Fight me, you knife eared fucks. FIGHT ME!"

Growling, Theo mumbled another syllable and felt his body quicken. Twirling his newfound sword, he started to run towards them, letting out a scream he remembered when he was little, heard from Hellas' long gone guards, who screamed that night when the Dark Elves, not so different from these otherworldly beasts, attacked-

"Orrrre-haaaaaaaa!"

The vanguard never touched him, cut down by a storm of arrows appearing behind him. Wasting no time regaining his composure, Theo skidded to a halt, drew another breath for his stamina was at an end, and drew blood from the fresh corpses. To the horror of the ranks that threatened to wash over him, he screamed an ancient syllable, and pointed his hand towards his sword, and the sword towards the advancing creatures.

Another blast of red lightning superheated the air with a crack, stunning the attackers before they were ripped apart by another volley. Screaming like a madman, he spent the last of his stamina, swinging madly into the...wavering fray of a score attackers...

They ran just when he was exhausted. Laughing, he cut down a panicked looking dark-skinned one , severing her head with one blow. Just for good measure, he kicked the still-quivering lipped head towards the running attackers and screamed at the top of his lungs with hate and raining magic missiles on the fleeing drow.

Theo scratched his head, but turned with a sigh as his luck was not from himself. Galloping sounds and women with equine lower backs made it too clear.

Eszter's centaur horde behind him had actually made them run away, still unloading arrows with their powerful arms to anything that approached the refugee trail exiting the city.

"What the hell are you doing there?" he was actually very grateful.

It was Eszter...

Her face glowed with happiness. "Your Theocrat informed us with a pigeo- why are you crying?"

Theo pointed towards the city. Another nightmarish portal has exploded bove the city, disgorging drow and cannibal orcs and ogres alike. Many of the dead had human heads attached to their belts like morbid trophies, many of them...children.

That night, Theo found himself tearfully watching the burning city and the screams of the dying and enslaved. They were people. His people.

"Lescatie's sons and daughters will be avenged." Eszter nodded at him. Bitterly smiling, she reached to wipe his tears. "I promise as a daughter of Arpad. Theo, get some sleep. My clan will ride to the Palatine Plains where the entire Imperial Force is on the move. We need you alive and healthy so you can persuade them." The centaur woman slowly put a hand to his shoulder. "I'm begging. Have some bread and sleep."

Theo sniffled, and hugged her muscular flank. Eszter could only sigh and pat his head as he fell asleep from the warmth of her body; his tears wetting her flanks.

Her tears wet his cheeks as they slept at a fair distance from the city, sitting at the fire. The centaur women had, much to their credit, lessened the loss of life with volleys of arrows and their speed. Now they merely lay in a circle around bonfires as the refugees marched on to safer pastures.

Five hours later, still groggy and shocked, they trotted, sadly and sickly, towards the frustrated and angry human army teeming in the north. How would they explain to leave Lescatie when they only still lost so many lives, some never to be seen again?

Memoirs of Slade, Governor and War Alchemist of Temirburg:

This ends today, one way or another.

Earthquakes shook the entire city today. Nothing serious, but it seems that the world is creaking under the disintegration of various portals. I had to guide young mamono families to safe areas and out of the city.

The Utopia we planned is near collapse. It was heart rending to see a young Ushi-Oni to cling and cry to her husband as their house collapsed. Luckily, Mamono influenced men and their wives can take a lot of physical damage, and no one has died today, though the hospitals and clinics are overcrowded.

So far.

The city is in chaos, and everyone is carrying valuables out of town. Fights over spots and confused belongings are rare, but everyone knows a rare malaise hangs over the city. I had to hand out sedatives to older mamono women with many children who went through wars, Maou's tyranny, and now protecting their hard-earned human husbands was too much for them.

And that was when I proposed to Hina, the Blue Oni alchemist Vierna had for a retainer. I will tell the tale of our gentle, civil marriage (And how I had to lie in hospital after having my pelvis broken) later.

For now, I am merely handing out healing potions and consoling hurt people and organizing Hellhound rescuers from rubble.

Everything is developing so fast. Everything is going to hell, fast.

There is nothing left but to wait. His death or ours.

The morning sun shone on a broken couple on the plain. Across the endless grass, a centauride was softly walking towards the sight on the horizon: a massive gray-and-blue ant colony. Yet an ant colony was it not, for men and horses numbered endless, and waited restlessly as their city was ruined. A stream of refugees, men and women were being escorted to outside villages where the world wasn't ruined yet. The riding couple looked sullen, broken, as if they were trampled and thrown to the dogs.

The centauride 's head turned to her rider. "You are trembling."

"I'm afraid." Theo's lips were dry and shivering.

"What are you afraid of?" Eszter slowed down and looked at him, after offering him a kerchief to wipe his face.

"...of failure." He mumbled. All his past failures reflected in his mind.

dont talk to strangers.

"Hello, little moth. Are you lost?"

He wasn't. He was in the lap of a Dark Elf woman caressing his cheek and giving him a candy, deep in the forest. She held him tight, not allowing him to leave before she had allowed it. "I got you, little moth~ you are mine~"

"Noo..." Theo would shiver, and try to get off her lap, only to be shushed and whispered "Yesss..." In his ear. It was alluring. And it would doom him.

don't tell any weird people about the village  
"Come on, little moth." She nuzzled him. "I'll just visit your village for a visit..." "Yeah! Mommy is great!" Her daughter hugged him. "Then we can play all the time, my servant!" She had hugged him with ropes and pretended to keep him. "Mine!"

It was good until flaming arrows rained down on the homes.

never leave your friends alone.

He was so full of hatred after escaping the slave pits, that he turned a blind eye to the screams upstairs. Instead he rushed madly to the rooms where all the slaves were taken, to see dead Brikha. Had he turned left, he could have at least saved one person that loved him, even when she'd be put to a Lescatie orphanage under guard or ransomed to liberate human slaves.

Hatred begat hatred. But then, could he have done otherwise at being barely a boy, tortured and abused?

Could history be different?

don't be greedy.

He remembered the battle of Megiddo, where the whole world clashed, man versus monster. He was injured, helpless as squadrons of Lescatian outriders mowed down the mamono. He was alone. Dying. His Blood Magic overseer was shot through the throat, so he was alone and losing blood fast.

"I don't want to die."

In a panic, he turned towards the titanic corpse of Maou. A knight screamed at him.

"NO!"

Yet he sank his growing teeth, mutated temporarily from Blood Magic, into the giant's neck. The blood that passed his lips felt so evil, yet tasted SO RIGHT. Already the young boy could feel a titanic rush of life as his body re-knitted himself, eldritch magic imbuing him with the strength of an ancient god.

Maou was dying and would be reborn with a clean spirit some centuries later, were he dead that day. Now his spirit was sleeping inside him, triggering the horrific events of the second Demon War, at the cost of living for ten more years.

A whisper, a promise echoed in his mind. Maybe they could come back...maybe-

"Theo? Yoohoo?" She snapped a few fingers in front of him.

His head tilted. "What."

"You've been sitting still on my back for ages. We arrived at the base camp." Esther told him with a worried voice. "Still sad?"

"Give me a reason not to be." For that, Eszter had no answer but to stomp the earth with her hoof.

The base was a massive war camp, hundreds of thousands of man-art-arms. Eszter, with her controversial escort, drew all the stares. Riding past the camp followers, expectant people and grizzled veterans, they were soon intercepted by mounted men.

"You are expected, ride with us." One pointed towards a tent. Theo dismounted, and started following them slowly.

"The beast stays, I don't like centaurs." The man grunted.

"They saved tens of thousand of innocents from slavery and death. They are more worthy than a knight sitting on his arse, fed on mutton and denying them the honors." Theo's angry reply started to draw stares from the surrounding men.

"Fine." He turned and left.

They entered a massive pavilion where knights, and various mamono were present.

"Bai Ze! Mingzhi!" Theo entered with haste, and much to their surprise, hugged both Hakutaku. His hug was returned with gusto, and he sobbed.

"You are alive! Are you alright?" Both Hakutaku greeted him warmly. But for one second, Theo felt incredibly cold, and tired.

"I'm not. I'm dying, hungry, in pain, I..." Theo collapsed, startling everyone. He was bawling his eyes out, tears flowing in bloody rivulets.

"I'M IN PAIN." He vomited, and fainted, his world collapsing around is eyes. "Help...me..."

His mind was a nightmarish swamp of death. The hands of shouting people around him did little to help as hot hands and fingers tried to open his mouth.

"Is he dying?"  
"God, that is blood! Black blood! IT'S SPEWING OUT!"  
"He's coming around. You, goat-woma-"  
"I'm a Hakutaku!"  
"Whatever. Got healing for him? His vision cleared a little. He screamed.  
"Can he even fight?" The grizzled knight that had bullied Eszter was standing next tohim. "That's the man?" He scratched his beard. "He looks...strange."

Theo was dying. He was far from the demon people had believed him to be. His body was oozing black blood, his face a tortured scream, his nose was running blood.

"Oh ye Allfather... He is dying."

As Theo screamed soundlessly and shivered, the audience around him looked in horror. His mind, however, was in a different hell. Fields of tears, broken moons in the sky, bleeding people being taken to the depths of the earth in chains tortured his heart again.

"Suppose I gave you your life back."

He dreamt of an almost comical alternate timeline, where the dark elf raiders of Thorns Faction never won. They attacked, lost horribly, and apologised, never to hurt a human again except in self defense. Theo hugged the injured Lins, and forgave her mother who surrendered and worked at the village as a maid and healer.

Everyone was happy ever after. Especially Theo and Lins, who were to marry years later with a fancy wedding.

"This can be your life. We will talk again when you face me. Now I leave your body. Come to me: we can work something out, these people have earned their freedom."

Maou.

"THEO!" A splash of warm water made him squeal to awareness. "God, it finally stopped!"

He made a sound like a dying ox, and stood up. His fit had ceased. His ears were howling with the rush of blood registered incoherent sounds.

"So what do we do? He is rotting from inside!" A nun shuddered and kept cleaning the floors.  
"I'm fine." Theo stood up and approached the war plan table. Others kept staring at him.

"You sure?" He nodded.

"Whatever was in me, slipped out."

"No denying that." Mingzhi looked at him with concern. "The whole camp just saw a black cloud exiting your mouth towards their stronghold."

To that, Theo had no reply. Deep inside, and likely from the knowing look Mingzhi gave, it was Maou breaking free of his bonds to fight him for real. Mingzhi slowly shook her head very slightly, sighing before anyone could see. Maou was getting stronger. Quietly she left.

Theo sighed as well, and turned to look at the battle map.

The table had the map of the world. On it was a single word: Dunia.

His home. His world, named after a single, old word. Up north where they lived, red skulls were placed in several areas. "The Invasion." Simple words for a simple issue. His pain-hazed mind barely registered the words, let alone understand what went on at the table.

"...if we flank them along this route..."  
"...liberated slaves can't be rehabili.."  
Theo stood up, and tapped the man's shoulder. "Where are these slaves you are talking about?" Turning towards the tent the old man pointed towards, he set off, leaving the again-puzzled audience alone.

"He has gone nuts."

Lines and lines of humanoid, elf-like slaves sat on the ground, staring mindlessly towards the ceiling. Some had light, grey skin, and others had been darker, and some were white. Each bore the scars of whipping, torture and worse, absentmindedly listening to a sermon of the Allfather by the portly priest, extolling his God and telling them they found peace.

The man talked and talked, until his eyes opened wide at the blood-coated specter entering the infirmary tent. He muttered a prayer, and ran outside, yelling "Heretic!"

Theo's grin was bloody. His purse was open, taking out a small booklet.

"You lot! You understand me?" The audience turned at him slowly. Some nodded.

"Want to learn magic real fast?" Some blinked. "Side effects may make you shit blood, blow up in a shower of lava or kill anyone nearby. All you need is some blood!" He giggled evilly and opened his arms. "A lot of blood."

"You are fucked. I won't deny that. Some of you were tortured badly. Some of you dream of a good life. I like the idea myself, but you all see that we are fucked. And those that take up that magic will die soon."

"Now, before you all keep listening to that fat fuck's sermon...who want to make a difference in this world? Who wants to go to death, which fucks up all of us anyway while making them cry? Any of you bitches and bumboys with some spine?" He growled.

Hands started to rise. "Excellent" Theo grinned. "I will teach you to burn. And take down dozens. We die, fine, but we'll make them shit blood for it."

Some ex-slaves smiled.

"He is teaching blood magic!" The priest shouted around, drawing only tired stares from weak men. "So?"

It was such a moment in army spirits: no one cared.

Slade's memoirs, the eve of battle:

The meeting between mamono armies and human ones was awkward, to say the least. Eyewitnesses said an endless stream of mamono women were moving towards the base camp, to be intercepted by Imperial outriders.

Apparently the loose Mamono empire had sent anyone that could wield a weapon and haphazardly armed them. Some don't even use "or need" weapons, like Ushi Oni or dragons. It was awkward, but gentle meeting. My friends have told me that a young girl extended a hand to an Ushi Oni and patted her hand.

She promptly picked up and hugged the little girl, easing the tension. And that was all that's necessary. It prompted a series of hugs, greetings, and laughter from both sides. However...

After another hour or so, arguments between the mamono and human groups erupted in the base camp. Many claimed and blamed disappearances upon the mamono...especially when during chatting the husbands they mentioned fit the descriptions of certain lost men.

My friends told me they had to break up "catfights" between women...until Theo, emerging from the informary tent with liberated slaves, and started to negotiate with an old , ancient Yuki-Onna in a ice-blue cheongsam. I heard that she merely said:

"We have come to fight."

And she opened a scroll promising that after this war, population exchange of unwilling inhabitants of either sides would be done. To let this happen, Theo cut his hand, and hers as well; using both blood samples for a geas,a binding magic oath to prompt every messenger, and listener of the news to force the return of kept mamono husbands.

Though I sense that it's deeper than that: a lot of divorces are going to happen. The arguments between the mamono-human women were a sight to behold.

The worst part is between a centaur and a stablemaster's wife. You can all guess the lines of "Horsefucker" , "Horse pussy" and "Washboard human."

The only way to defuse that was to show both sides the escaped drow slaves from the north. And that's what the man did, using blood from his palms to magically confront and force the audience to listen what would happen if they wouldn't stop bickering.

"We will handle exchange once the nightmare is over." Theo shouted just when another earthquake rocked the world.

"Now we march north! Follow me! Or our children will be scattered to the worlds as slaves and cattle!"

That threat spurred everyone to break camp and move faster.

"In the Name of Allfather, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful.  
All the praises and thanks be to Allfather, the Lord of the Worlds ,mankind, monster and all that exists. The Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful. The Only Owner of the Day of Recompense...  
You alone we worship, and You alone we ask for help.  
Guide us to the Straight Way...  
The Way of those on whom You have bestowed Your Grace, not (the way) of those who earned Your Anger, nor of those who went astray.

The Qadimi force had prostrated themselves towards the City of Light. Hundreds of men and women praying in unison, a sea of robes and turbans, sharp scimitars, tulwars and bows on their backs.

Theo felt his heart lighten. It drove the nightmare away.

"Let those fight in the way of Allfather who sell the life of this world for the other. Whoso fighteth in the way of Allfather, be he slain or be he victorious, on him We shall bestow a vast reward." Their robed clerics chanted in Common.

"AMEN!" The crowd shouted in unison.

In the other corner, Lescatian knights had all knelt to the True Kenkou Cross, the first Prophet's execution device, rubbing their hands and faces and kissing it.

"A time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace." The Priest chanted.

" Blessed be the Lord, my rock, who trains my hands for war, and my fingers for battle"

...

Theo, never a pious man, felt like repeating the verses. His home, long gone, had kept Allfather close to their hearts without hating the mamono. They had suffered for it dearly when their calls for help were ignored due to consorting with them, only to be heard when the warrior-king Julius, ruler of a neighboring small kingdom, risked excommunication to fund and outfit a crusade on his own to save his kin, since the Lescatian Theocrat was slow to respond.

Shindalla's spies had killed the King years later, as well as his family, and the children were never seen again. The children were found by Theo one day, girls transformed unwillingly, boys made into Azaneal's abused slaves, barely sentient seed pumps in a dark den. One by one he put them out of their misery. That sin he never mentioned to anyone, hanging heavy on his heart.

Yet he prayed, tearful, for a soul's weakness had cost millions. A sin he could not confess to a priest, for it would ruin the war even now.

He felt he caused everything. Maybe not.

Maybe.

"A three-pronged attack is the best 's outriders spend their quivers from...here" Theo pointed to a hill overlooking the portal.

"Qadimi Jaysh-al-Jihad will charge from the other direction. They said they'll send the suicide army of what you did...the ex-slaves as a wave to break the strange mana-shields these bastards set up. Once the shields are down, they will strangle the besieged and storm them."

Theo nodded. "Good. Let their walls crumble."

Eszter pointed towards the goatskin map. "Your cow-wisewomen say the portals increase in number. They are increasing, and who knows when the portals will be two-way? Then everyone will be taken to hellish realms..." She sniffled. The camps had thousands of slaves, each one doomed one way or another.

"Best they die here." Theo spoke out the bitter words. " Of course, rescue whomever you can." He continued seeing incredulous, angry stares at him and sighed.

"Life is hard. It's horrid. Remember, we both did this to each other a century ago, maybe a bit lighter. I also know Lescatie attempted this with the centaurs, to think nothing of the Qadimi we have here..." He pointed at the veiled nomads, who raised their hands in defense.

"We learned our error, sayyidi. Let the mahluqat live in their own lands and not breed with them, naozobillah"

"And we correct what went wrong, when we lost our conscience." Theo grumbled loudly. Everyone nodded. "Never again."

"Good."

"Tonight we rest. Tomorrow we start. All of you: sleep. Pray if you like. Keep the dying and enslaved in your hearts. We will avenge them."

The warhost wearily sat down, and started setting up camps. It would be a harsh and unforgiving night. He couldn't sleep, but slumped quietly against a tree, for nightmares overtook him:

"Your Lins and Brikha could be brought back from the dead...You took me in and saved my life, and I am obliged to reward you, the very least..."

'"I'm not ready."

He threw up his breakfast on the grass as Eszter sighed and rolled her eyes. Taking a cup of water, he gargled his throat.

"Come. I'm dying anyway. Honestly, I'm relieved. I have lived for too long." Eszter's sad stare nearly softened his heart. "Look. I mean it. Maybe it's time I told you why I stopped loving women."

"I am a blood mage. Know what this means?" Eszter whook her head.

"I don't draw power from the air. I draw power from blood. The stronger the blood..." He sighed. "And it drains on your lifeforce as well. You rot from the inside, sooner or later. Lescatie has a very strong ban of blood magic ya know. And they are right. I'm a beast."

"Don't say that."

Theo looked at her with tears.

"I drank a god dry. I murdered everyone when I was tortured. I...There is no place on earth for beasts like me...Yes, I know, I was 17 and a slave who had lost...but...I should have died at Megiddo...with Maou next to me...Sorry. Death is what I must have. It will be a release. I'm a monster wearing a human skin, you are more human than me, sweet centaur."

Seeing the lovely centauride tear up, Theo grabbed her face and went on. "Every night I see nightmares. As if mine aren't enough, now I get infected by others' too. The thing I devoured...it will howl day and night to get free...its keening howl is drawing worlds and realms here, so what he can't rule, he will destroy it."

"I must find peace. I saw the worst of slavery. I saw heartrending things, mothers and children torn apart... Death...will be my release. This mind feels torture every morning. It's not natural." Caressing the strong, angular face of the centaur woman, Theo said: "Sorry. Understand that you are flirting with a dead man."

Eszter's tears were flowing freely as Theo's, who gave him a small scroll.

"Leave this with the Theocrat, and a copy sent to each Mamono duke or queen. Can you do this? For me?" The tearful centaur nodded. "It's my will. Let no one read it before I am gone. Have it sent to the world."

"Now, Let me speak before the army before I lose what little spine I have." He shivered, as he ascended a small platform to address the army present. It was Mingzhi's idea to stand and talk to everyone.

"Am I ready? No, mister Theophilos, I am not fucking ready..." He sighed.

The audience was full of humans in wargear. And mamono from all species, sporting weapons, tools and utensils, had finally started to sift in. Thousands looked at him expectantly, not knowing he would tell them to die.

"I really want to kill myself rather than talking." He mumbled.

He had to. The portal, and its otherworldly platform which the invasion spilled forth beckoned just ahead, with torch bearing hordes advancing even now. He coughed:

"Friends,"

People blinked uneasily. He just kept improvising.

"I am not a good man. I never had the heart to be what you liked. But I always did my best to isolate the darkness in me, and tried not to violate anyone. I suffered, and incidentally, i made some suffer. I am sorry for all, and did what I could to correct.

I regret all of my mistakes. My heart aches, from tales of cruelty to deeds done before me. The pain kills me slowly, yet I live. I broke hearts, and not have the time to question or ask for forgiveness. It's my ...nature."

I know why.

I devoured Maou's blood on that fateful day, because I was afraid to die. He is in me, and now calls the Underworld, the Hells and worse to our world, Dunia. Mamono's relatives from worse ages and worlds led by an endless swarm of Drow, a far darker cousin of what we know as our dark elves. His blood is in me, I see what will happen to us, and I know what must be done!"

He savored the silence and breathed deep.

"I will ritually sacrifice myself to seal the gate lest we become slaves, mamono and human alike."

[laughter]

Before some of you laugh or feel relieved because your favorite scapegoat, freak and heretic dies to help you, I must ask from many of you the same:

I need at least ten thousand pure souls to die WILLINGLY, GLADLY so that the Arcana's doors must remain closed to death and invasion, for all eternity!

[Silence]

What I ask is heavy. What will happen if you refuse is heavier.

What I ask for you is to die. To sacrifice yourselves. To give up your lives for a world we fought so hard to achieve. I see you, mamono SISTERS! Brave beings that followed your hated enemies, the Lescatie humans to this Pit. You are now SISTERS to me, each and every last one, even though I was formed by your parents' cruelty!

I came here because one of you helped me survive! One mamono hurt me, another freed me! If I, your broken boogeyman, can learn to work with you, IMAGINE WHAT YOU ARE CAPABLE OF!

The ranks of mamono women stirred positively.

No one here must be compelled. All must be free, joyfully dying for a better world. Else the ritual will be pointless. None will escape the spell. All will die under its power, the joyfully given blood sealing this world away from deeper Hells!

Look at the Qadimi! They were offered their own kingdom by the drow, yet they are with us, once-enemies willing to die for all our sakes!

Loos at the Lescatians! You fought for them for years, millenia! And they WILL die for you! This is the spirit we are all conceived for! FOR A BETTER WORLD!

Will you ride with me? Will you die for your children? WILL YOU DIE WITH ME FOR A BETTER WORLD FOR YOUR CHILDREN?

"YES!"

The exuberant scream of thousands of throats, thirsting for blood and full of righteous indignation echoed across the valley. It had, miraculously worked.

One of the squires started playing a bagpipe, sending shrill tones across the field.

He started to cry as tears flowed freely for the first time. His body felt light, happy, the feeling when his family called him to supper on these rocks, on these shores where white stone cottages stood, where his innocent childhood died. From his throat flowed an ancient war cry, forgotten ever since his homeland went under chains and leash. He himself didn't even know how he remembered, yet he screamed:

"Eleftheria y Thanatos!"

Screaming arcane words to rouse the blood potions on his back, he focused...

Chanting, as the crowd looked in incredulousness as ancient energies hummed around his bloodied, failing body encased in red armor...

...his body felt ablaze as feelings of sex, violence, and anger surged across his skull.

...until two red, massive wings erupted from his back, and his body felt like surging to the heavens to the gasp of the crowd. Even as he screamed, he almost laughed knowing it was blood magic just to impress a crowd;

"CHARGE!"

The warhost marched into their ritual sacrifice in a roar that unsettled the invaders' hearts, led bytheraging boywith wings made of blood. Tens of Thousands of hooves and armored boots sounded the clarion of war that evening, an endless thunder.

The mamono followers that were delayed stood back when a strange, red sigil appeared in front of them. Otep raised her hand, and paws, feet and claws ground to a halt.

"It started. "

Otep squinted to get a clear look. "So that's how Megiddo happened." Her tail rose in sheer excitement. "Megiddo, both sides now against something worse."

The human-mamono army, a furious swarm of men and women charged towards the portal.

The defending monsters, the invaders crouched low and let loose a withering barrage of bolts and spells...just in time when a screaming horde of lone horsemen wearing turbans advanced to their flanks, guarding a running swarm of people who wore nothing but red tattoos, knives and chanting something: Theo had taught everyone who wanted to die a spell that would take their life, but make them detonate in an eldritch explosion.

"These artless apes cannot damage our mana shie-" A drow had muttered, just before the wave of ex-slaves, grim elves and men, with crazed expressions, hurled themselves towards the shield.

"No." Denial helped little.

Red, bright explosions shattered the shields, erupting in a series of volcanic bursts that shook the defenders. A geyser of limbs, metal, and earth erupted where the ex-slaves had used themselves as blood magic components in a desperate attack.

The shield had fallen, allowing the attackers to rain arrows and bolts on the monsters that came to destroy their lives from three directions.

Eszter and her sisters had flanked the defenders, galloping in circles. Every time a centaur woman faced them, she unleashed her bow, making it look as if an endless of arrows rained on them. None could hit them for their inhuman speed and strength.

The outer defenders were ground to red paste before she could draw her weapon, crushed by the armored wave. Speed meant nothing if a combatant was ran over by slabs of muscle and steel.

The strange invaders unleashed barrages of elemental bolts and mana blasts. Ten fell; yet a thousand took their place. Leaping horsemen cleaved the entrenched drow and other monsters' heads whenever one looked up, only seeing a hateful face lower a sword.

The tip of the spear was Theo, surging forward with a crazed expression; surrounded by wings made of blood in the shape of a bloody, morbid angel. The flanks were riders, cavalry and centaur women alike, firing recurved bows as they charged. The spearlike horde cleaved through the invasion of realms shaped by hate. Otep lost sight of the frenzied Theo diving inside the ranks like a meteor, the wings made of blood around him turned to red razors. Above the screaming host, a geyser of blood showed his progress as hundreds flew towards the sky in pieces.

He exploded in a shower of fire as he landed on top of a swarm of orcs, standing up and running towards the shocked enemy ranks, booming with a mantra.

"DEATH!"

"DEATH!" His warcry surged the warhost to a higher frenzy. The crazed screams rose to a crescendo when ranks crashed in a storm.

Amongst the screams and bloodshed, a hulking man ripped three drow invaders in two with a single swing of his greataxe. His partner, a manly looking blonde woman in full plate armor impaled several with a thrust of her blade, getting badly wounded in the process. Screaming, she stood up, crushing the attacking drow's head with her warhammer.

Hundreds of arrow rained each time one drew breath, flaming arrows grinding down the defenders, and giving Theo time to press forward as he hacked, cleaved, and blasted his way across waves of creatures too horrible to behold.

Otep spotted a noble Knight, a man with flaming red beard who had married his mount, a blonde centaur woman, both went down singing hymns of war, holding each other's right hand as they went in swinging across dozens of drow to red ribbons. The centaur lopped off the heads of several drow until a falchion dug into her flank. Her rider crushed the assailant's head, only to receive a mortal wound by a crossbow bolt, then a dozen, face in pain and disbelief, turning to his love, his mount, and his light.

Otep's eyes teared as man and centauride crawled away after emerging from a rain of crossbow bolts, holding each other's hands as their bodies gave up.

A Centaur woman ripped her opponent, a young drow girl's head off with her twin swords and kicked another to death, making her head explode with a hoof. An elven woman, scarred, tortured and tattooed -probably an escaped drow slave-, ran towards the enemy ranks before she could be mowed down, cut her wrist and detonated herself in a shower of lava-hot blood that charred dozens of invading Drow and their war thralls. Obviously Theo had taught her that, Otep noted.

The sounds and screams of battle filled the Pit. Screams, grunts, shouts, screams, and the clash of steel on steel filled the world in a scale rarely seen, with spontaneous blood magic explosions rocking the earth as well. Some milder mamono shivered in fear and even started weeping.

The spectators recoiled collectively when a group of bare-chested, bearded men screamed "Berserkrgang!" at the top of their lungs after drinking a potion and charged with twin axes as their mouths foamed. Each brought down nearly dozens of drow invaders and their monsters before dying much, much later.

"Humans are real scary when threatened." An imp quipped, watching the carnage. Some heads nodded warily. A Dark Elf mamono pursed her lips and nodded apprehensively. "Serves her right."

"Wha?" The response she received from her compatriots told us much:

"A friend of mine there... showed us other worlds owned by elves like us. Slaves spent like fodder, played with, cut down by magical experiments. Even my kind felt disgusted." She shuddered. "I love my human husband. I'd die for him if I..."She went silent, far too afraid to die.

"Anyone having second thoughts, stay back. We'll garrison Temirburg. We go back and have the biggest drunken party ever."

"What for?" A centauride looked at her in confusion and screamed. "They will die out there!"

"If he wins, they die anyway, and we celebrate. If he loses, they are dead, and we are fucked anyway so we may as well have a drunken blowout. I always wanted to snort cocaine." Otep honestly spoke. "Anyone willing to die, be my guest."

Everyone looked at her in astonishment. She shrugged. "I've had the harsh life up here." She gestured to her throat with a meaty paw, and broke her Ma'at scale and staff.

"Slaves this, servant that, harsh rule that...FUCK! I just want to be happy once and not call someone property...just husband or gear up for a war I never wanted! And Theo is paying the bill already, so I'm going home."

It was glorious. The cocky invaders, their orkoid henchmen and freaks were already spattered by blood and arrows from oversized warbows. Theo slowed down since his blood reserves had shrunk, stopping his tornado of bloody razors.

"Upstart rivvil!" The swords came down to slash him, only to fail as blood magic replaced the tissue and blood the moment it was cut.

He uttered a dark sentence, sending a red blast to flay the towering drow female. The resulting creature couldn't even scream as it stood like a macabre anatomical horror, flayed alive on the spot. Theo sliced her chest apart and pulled her blood inside him in a sparkling red shower all the same, the rich magical blood healing him in a sickly feeling.

A barrage of crossbow bolts pelted him, only to be bogged to nothing by a canopy of bright red blood. He shouted another arcane syllable to send a barrage of glowing blood arrows to rip the shooters apart; his teeth chattered in dark pleasures with each magic pulse. It was always a darkly pleasing feeling to tower over a foul dark elf slaver and terrify it. Today was his last, and best day of life, with perfect targets all around. Squeezing his fists, he mumbled an Old Tongue word, whipping the shed blood around him and slicing apart dozens more.

"DIE!" His sword split another skull. His left hand expanded, draining its sordid blood and healing him and hastening his muscles further and further.

His heart started fluttering. He knew he wasn't long for this world. That was the secret of blood magic: you don't survive it. It kills and poisons your mind. His throbbing figure was glowing crimson, declaring his unholy, unnatural power and fading soul. Yet it felt good. So good. He felt like a god of Death on the battlefield for one brief moment in his short, chaotic, tormented life.

"VENGEANCE!" Screaming this word by itself was a delight.

Bending back, he barely dodged a male Ogre's axe, the metallic edge ringing on the armored gorget within inches of his throat. He dove forward, impaling the grotesque beast through his heart and blasting him apart , his other hand's blood magic igniting the creature's blood filled organs and exploding the monster.

Surging forward, he caught a Drow girl, a strangely cat-eared, tights wearing, martial artist with a whip, in the belly with his sword, lifting the wretch above. Laughing madly, he enjoyed the drow attacker's dying, horror-filled face and grinned at the drow surrounding him.

"VOID!" He ignited his blade, making the alluring slaver girl burn alive, screaming.

Her comrades looked in terror as he opened his mouth, devouring her soul in front of them.

"SHE IS GONE! AS WILL YOU!"

As beautiful, seemingly innocent looking invaders surrounded him more and more, he felt the time right. His eyes, for one moment in eternity, gazed at the spectacle of grotesque bloodshed. Gazing into his opponents' eyes, he saw their world. Their treatment of people. Lines of slave markets with beastly treatment, sexual slavery of worse type, and even cannibalism, slaves ending up being accidentally blasted with spells and discarded, slaves that were broken in to be mere, clingy tools.

He saw visions of chaos of a realm bathed in corruption, Creatures eating even their dead, glutting an underworld kingdom with slaves even when resources were sparse.

And he saw fear in their eyes. They had answered the eerie call of a dead dark god promising them slaves, only to meet a furious, live monster of a human they sneered back in their realm, surrounded by a whirlwind of glistening blood emerging from his veins. A whip of blood sliced one of their own. Swords flashed, and three more fell. His scream, an unearthly warcry made those that stood shiver.

A red eyed demon in the body of a drow leapt at him with a spear. Another whiplike protrusion from his blood loss slicesthe creature apart. Dodging two more, he summoned his agonizing blood power and shifted to the side, taking both of their heads in a single swing.

"DIE BASTARDS!"

Theo started to laugh, his voice amplified by the enchantments running in his body. The survivors froze in fear as a river of blood started to collect around him. He could hear the cries of fear and hesitation fill his ears.

"HOW DO YOU FEEL NOW?" His booming voice made some hesitate and retreat.

A barrage of arrows ripped apart the terrified invader ranks as the mamono and human army behind him charged around him. Still it was not enough. The strange Drow were fantastically powerful, unleashing waves of waves of magical energies to cut down the attackers by the hundreds. Yet they would not falter.

This was a war over life and dignity. Monsters and men of Dunia had enough: Slavery, war, famine, displacement, another war, and now these newer slaving invaders had whipped the inhabitants into a frenzy. Even Holstauri had joined their minotaur sisters with axes to surge across the barrier, desperate, furious to beat back another horrid age of slavery and war at the cost of their own lives. This time it was closure or death. Even the grim reminder of absolute death within the spell boundaries did no longer deter anyone willing to fight, or die.

Even former Drow slaves were using Blood Magic to end their existence to just make a small dent in the war effort.

An endless thunder sounded around him as sheer number of attackers started grinding down the dreaded wound across the world as time and space started to ebb and flow, and the world quakes.

He stood before his greatest fear.

The spectre before him towered twenty feet tall, a monstrosity made of dust, coagulated blood and the most disgusting smelling, shimmering sludge one could imagine.

Maou stood before him, again. Now it was an utter atrocity to existence, fueled by his hate.

Theo looked up. He had imagined this would be a fearful encounter, his nightmarish mental domination scaring him. But the mental union with Mingzhi had cleansed his dreams. Such was his relief that he smiled quietly at the rotting finger landing on his forehead.

"KNEEL." Was the booming, disgusting word.

"No." Theo blinked and spoke, with no rancor. Before the spectre could scream, he spoke: "You are wrong. Your hate consumed you worse than my condition. Rest now."

"LITTLE HUMAN FILTH." He raised his claw, an oily, disgusting clump of serrated blades to rip him apart. Theo concentrated, and dropped on his back: Mingzhi had told him that only the fearful, the gullible died by spectral weapons.

The claws passed through him with no pain but a small scratch. He blew on a small, conjured ball of water, softly raising a ring of protection on his back before he fell, and slid away.

"WHAT?" Was the disconcerted response of the deathless Maou.

"You are poisoned. Your soul is. But, you see, I found a little Hakutaku lady to draw your influence into herself and vomit it into the cosmos to be cleansed." Theo spoke calmly. He felt like floating on clouds, free and calm. "You see, it's over. We both channeled enough power in one being. Let's finish it." He drew a small dagger.

The world had enough. The sheer fury and determination had the Drow terrified. This was no soft surface world of petty humans and goblins to drag and abuse. The strange monsters were far too much even for their moonless world's slavers. Worse, the portal was still one-way. Any Drow desperately jumping back was being disintegrating.

The dead-god had fooled them.

"SEA SLUG! WRETCH!"

A billowing cloud of plague hit his body, emerging from a fanged mouth...ony to disintegrate around a shield of pure water. Theo smiled, and sliced with grace on the extended arms, cutting them off, only to reform.

"YOU CANNOT HURT ME." Spoke the gurgling beast.

"You can't keep this up either." Theo smiled, all fear gone. He had time to charge. The beast did not. Even so, the old monster god had plenty to dish out. He roared, lunging with a series of blasts of corrupt fire to batter Theo's body. He braced for impact and decided to roll aside...

To bump into a barrage of swords which already intercepted the spell blasts.

They were with him. His friends, people he fought and nearly died for. The men of Lescatie, who had been able to survive this far, had surrounded his half of the circle, wizards, unleashing a barrage of lightning towards the invaders, letting him deal with the colossal horror.

Amongst the horror stood a general, the very human that did not want the centaur in their camp.

"We are with you. Do it."

Using the distraction and terror he caused to their dead God, and the chaos of battle, he started to chant the forgotten words of Blood magic.

Point of no return had begun. Far more than 10000 souls were spent: he felt it. His blood threatened to burst out of his body as the Mamono God-King's essence threatened to stop him. The whispers became shouts as he neared his end. Strangely, the invaders stopped as if commanded by an invisible hand as he started chanting in the first Tongue of men:

K'ur gul iz zuul,  
shab-mu gi-er-ra edin-na,  
du'l-szib-ba-ra!  
zul! su nge me gil-im!

-BE MY VESSEL, NOT MY CAPTOR, AND I PROMISE TO AID YOU

I CAN GIVE BRIKHA BACK TO YOU!

I WILL NOT ENSLAVE MEN, I PROMISE, I WILL MAKE THE INVADERS YOUR SLAVES INSTEAD-FRIENDS IF YOU WANT

THEO, YOU WANTED LOVE. I WILL GIVE YOU WHAT YOU WANT.

I WILL GIVE YOU THE POWER TO CHARM THE WORLD. IMAGINE ALL THE WORLD DOING AS YOU LIKE. You WANTED FRIENDS. I WILL GIVE YOU ALL YOU WANT. ALL THE FRIENDS YOU CAN LOVE.

GIVE ME MY CROWN BACK AND I WILL LET YOU RULE BY MY SIDE, I CAN CHANGE. I WILL LET YOU SHOW ME THIS "FREEDOM" IF YOU JUST LET ME!

Theo took out his sacrifical dagger and started slitting his wrist. Now it was beginning. The voice grew ragged and desperate.

"STOP. I'LL GIVE YOU EVERYTHING YOU WANT. I'LL LET YOU LIBERATE ALL THESE WORLDS! LISTEN TO ME! I'LL LET YOU BE A SAVIOR YOU DREAMT OF BEING AT NIGHT! YOU KNOW YOU DREAMT OF THIS. LIBERATE EVERY SLAVE IN EVERY REALM. HAVE JOY AND HAPPINESS DOMINATE EXISTENCE. STOP!"

"DYING IS POINTLESS, THEO! YOU ABSORBED ME BECAUSE YOU WANTED TO LIVE!"

Theo mumbled before he finished the spell. "I was dead the first arrow landed on my home. Too late for stopping."

PLEASE! I WILL GIVE YOU ANYTHING YOU WANT! I WILL SEND THE INVADERS AWAY! ANYTHING YOU DESIRE!HELP ME CHANNEL YOU INTO A VESSEL FOR MY GODHOOD! STOP! JUST WAIT! STOP HIM!

The drow started to shake themselves clear of mental domination and drew their weapons again.

"A life for a life." Were the final words that cast the evil spell of Blood Magic. In a moment of eternity, Theo's heart felt light. He uttered the first words that would change the world, and plunged the knife in his own heart. His finishing words were a melodic, improvised line to attempt using dark magic for good in Common language. The Hakutaku had told him, now it was time to do it.

A hand grabbed his arm, startling him.

It was the bearded knight that had hated the centaurs. Theo hissed in fear, but the man was calm:

"Theo..."

"It has been an honor." He nodded, smiling and letting him stab himself.

The knife ripped his heart, freeing massive amounts of enchanted blood and energies. His last words were etched

"Ten Thousand Lives for Eternity!"

The drow surrounding him screamed and lunged, each possessing the face of a demon, desperate to save the Maou that channeled them to this world. Too late.

Thus ends the life of the boy-turned-monster-turned-lamb. A final observer with a looking scope, a scout noted that he exploded, the blood he absorbed from far more than 10000 sacrifices forming a burning, bright red star that could be seen during the day across the world.

The bloody star absorbed the blood shed on the warzone, drinking on the hot nectar of life freely given for honor; then the star exploded, impaling the exiting army from the portal where it stood. The invading "drow's" dying expressions were buried in a jagged flood of burning rubies.

The portal itself, a wound in reality that corrupted the world was shut and torn apart by the supernova that pounded the Pit deeper into the world. It is not illogical to assume the invasion realms were bombarded by torrents of molten lava and ruby as well, perhaps mercifully cleansing these realms of life.

The rest, as you know, is history. The seas roared, and earthquakes buried the Pit until seas spilled its soil and water, and molded it in shape of an island; embracing the megalithic, burning-hot ruby into an island.

The sole point of his existence, is in the heart of a mountain-sized Ruby under a verdant hill. It marks the Seal to our world, so that worse horrors from the Multiverse may never corrupt world is ours, free from worse horrors and pains and invasions, for all eternity as long as the ruby stands.

Some would argue that Maou, the male spirit of all Mamono species is destroyed. Mingzhi says it's not. It's spread across the world now, and surely will reform and reincarnate after some millenia, hopefully under a more benevolent soul. Maybe we will then live side by side as equals, forever, male and female mamono and humans intertwined as a giant family, never to fall into chaos like this.

There will be wars,deaths and maybe even slavery again. But Bai Ze, the Hakutaku teacher Theo claimed to have met, said each of these horrid things will inevitably be manipulated towards greener pastures and lighter possibilties whenever said events happen and will lose some of their trauma, due to the colossal enchantment unleashed by the ritual. She said that the sheer existential level of world will from now on be similar to saucy adult-romance novels written in secrecy by Lescatian heretics, the universe itself molding to make perils survivable, horrors manageable, deaths acceptable.

I already receive reports of miraculously revived casualities from skirmishes amongst clans of mamono and men, and there is virtually no crisis of faith or emotional crimes and murder.

The ritual sacrifice by combat triggered a surprising, revolutionary and political change as well.

After decades of standstill and reconstruction, last week the Mamono Queens and the Human leaders signed a well formulated treaty. A year of outlining articles, arguing over borders and rights, we did it in honor of Theo's last requests:

We instilled civil laws of war, abolished slavery (although voluntary slavery of impoverished humans to the Guild S and debt labor endures, and no one bats an eye dark elf girls' naughty antics if they keep in certain ethical lines), and declared permanent peace. The principle is that sentient minds will not be preyed upon by sword.

The Guild S is harshly(over many protests of older, conservative Mamono) reorganized to a "servant allocation guild" with strict guidelines. (Strangely, Minotaurs' and Dark Elves' youngest generations aided us enthusiastically). I will keep correspondence with them, and assign a permanent human agent for any ransom trades/debt management for the truly desperate.

New generation of mamono are happy about this, and older generations are surprised by willing humans anonymously selling themselves to the guild. All is good for both: apparently both species are finding their joy and meet their desires behind closed doors.

The Inquisition will monitor Lescatian territories any overt debauchery and corruption, knowing the entire "human chattel" business is, fundamentally, immoral. Their mild oppression will also enable some disgruntled to defect or pass to mamono side and provide a steady stream of humans for the mamono to use for sex and labor until humans on their side can make up in numbers.

Standing armies will exist, and I fear small-scale wars will be inevitable, but Dunia knows an era of peace that even started influencing other continents. The magic-imbued treaty has even its nickname:

"Price of Freedom."

That price is blood. Lots of it. Officially the treaty is named Ruby Pact.

For we stamped the treaty with a seal of heart shaped pure Ruby taken from a chunk falling down when we landed on the island.

The stone's weeping blood was used as ink, for it is the price of freedom from darker aspects of life: willingly given blood for a future generation. It was never a more fitting ink, and the Monster Queen's representatives wept from the sheer emotional load. One gave me a hug that was far from lusty. I learned that she had once shared wine with Theo, and the sight of blood broke her heart. She felt it was his heart, the Ruby, purified and melted into the World Seal.

What happened to people he knew?

Strange things.

Shindalla was found dead in front of the shrine she lived in, having slit open her stomach after burning away her slaver tattoo. Her "death poem", some weird message, was written in some eastern script:

From children we hurt,

Weeping with shame, regretful,

We ask for forgiveness

They say the unusual blooming of flowers around her is the sign her request became true. I'm not well versed in Eastern mythology myself. I was doubly shocked when a verified will was given to mamono treasury to start a sanctuary for war orphans and rehabilitation for pre-Megiddo slaves and their progeny, under her name! How did she gather a quarter million gold pieces?

Billie was found dead. She, in all her brief spotlight in history, fought to the bitter end as the portal over Lescatie claimed lives, sword in hand, as a succubus crusader.

Eszter and her sisters of Arpad rode into eternity that day, giving their blood to save the world we fought so hard to defend.

Mingzhi and Bai Ze travelled back to the East (each having a young husband in tow…). Both wrote "The Epic of Ruby and Blood" and were received like queens by the Imperial Court of Zhong Guo, prompting the Jade Emperor to send emissaries and traders.

There is a wandering musician, kitsune girl boasting she carries the blood of Theo. Her composed song, "Song I bled for" is a well repeated bard song across taverns.

Theo's once-carnal partner, some human girl named Melinda visits the island every month. Donning a black cloak, she dutifully etches the names of everyone she remembers on the obsidian rocks and cares for the flowers. When etching the name Theophilos, a visitor saw her chuckle as if laughing at a hidden joke.

Otep, the commissar-turned militia leader of Temirburg stepped down from office and runs a funeral service. She commissioned a small pyramid in old Misrani style at the shore of the island, etched full of hieroglyphs writing the story, workforce being mummy girls, made from human girls Otep had saved from death or terminal diseases during her police career.

Vierna came out on top, "kind and tender bitch-queen of the west". Temirburg is a free city in all aspects of social standing(ironic that a dark elf ruled it), and she and her wife Ilsa are co-rulers. Lauriel survived her injuries and married Tomas in a humble ceremony. Their bedtime habits are...controversial, and she gave birth to a lot of children, but Vierna had found her peace at last, free from her mother's visions and her anxieties. Her daughters, Esperanza and Spes, are being groomed to be twin co-rulers of the city. Vierna plans on stepping down and raising the new generation of children in a co-ed college free for Temirburg citizens.

Temirburg's economy is booming, as its delights, joys and strange customs.

A few Black Brigade members survive. Even they have changed. I see them reverently visiting the mountain, and I saw one of them, an ancient Lamia, adopt a family of human children. Joachim, the eldest became a famous archivist and historian. Another ex-Black Brigade member, an ancient Black Oni, traveled southeast to Qadim to start a series of monasteries and soup kitchens. They don their blackened fur and skin no longer as a declaration of war against Man, but of humility and penance, and enjoy attention and interviews. Lescatian court wizards will track them, but most think their penance and regret is sincere.

What happened to the boy who was in the eye of the storm?

The Human factions started to worship Theo's memory, provoking much anger from the Theocracy. Already unorthodox Lescatian churches push for canonization of Theophilos, Battle Angel, Warrior-Saint of Slaves and Orphans. His symbol is declared a sword smashing chains before a wounded ruby heart. If they knew he became a blood monster before his death... The verses about Allfather guiding him and granting him heavenly wings would be void.

The Ruby Heart that continously drips hot healing blood is visited by pilgrims of man and mamono every day. It's a symbol of sacrifice, and declared a holy relic by all faiths.

Some Pagan-minded Ugaric people and mamono revere him as a troubled, angry earth god, or an incarnation of Perun. Some build icons hallowing his name, corrupting it with Theos, an old name for "god". I see mamono and human mothers leaving a small cookie (milk chocolate, Theo's favorite) in children's pockets: "Penny for the Orphan God"

All in all, an utopia is well underway. We are rebuilding, loving and procreating.

I know he isn't a god, but an unlucky sod who was tortured the moment he drew breath; drawn into a horrid existence he did not ask about; nevertheless giving up his life to protect the world he did not love. But I hope with all my heart that wherever he is, his soul is with his family, in a plane of existence unmarred by horrors of sentient apathy; a world where no one is violated by any way whatsoever. We will take care of his legacy by any means necessary, and make sure no one suffers fates like his contemporaries.

Theo, rest in peace.

You are free, wherever you are.

Slade, Retired Governor of Temirburg.

Deep across the void, a swarm of light, thousands of souls glided on cosmic streams of the stars...

Deep across the endless stars and realities, it noticed a sound unheard, a sight unseen, and surged towards the light.

To live again,

To have another chance at existence.

The scientist blinked incredulously. The particle accelerator had reached a critical threshold, releasing enormous waves of neutrinos. Before he could call CERN command-


End file.
